2015 Golden Nosey Interview
An interview with 2015 Golden Nosey Winner, Grigor Eftimov.
Article Transcript
I'll keep this quick, but I think it's important to note that this interview was conducted live (well, live over Skype), and I'm pretty sure it wasn't actually an interview...as much as it was an amazingly awesome conversation with 2015's Golden Nosey winner (as well as first place in Exaggerated Style, third place Caricature of the Year and fourth place in Color Technique), Grigor Eftimov. It quickly became super candid, and I can't even begin to explain how insightful it was to hear all the different directions, thoughts, and ideas each question prompted from Grigor. A shame that transcribing it into a format fit for EF required me to be a bit selective and pick sections that I thought addressed each question best and turn away some golden material. However, we did record it! I'm excited to say that if you listen to our podcast, you should expect the beauty of this interview...times 100. Until then, please do enjoy!
When did you start drawing caricatures?
When did I start? I started drawing caricatures probably when I was at the American Academy of the Arts. What happened was Gary Fasen came there and was trying to recruit people. To be honest, I didn’t want to do caricatures. At the time, I was working with my father and I was paying my way through school. I wanted to do anything I could do to prove to him and anyone else that like, hey...I could make a living at this. I started drawing caricatures at my fundamentals class (but) I never took that seriously. My focus was getting better at painting, getting better at drawing. I really didn’t know what I was going to do with that. Then a year later, Gary came back and saw me again and said “Are you still interested?” And I said yes! I go there (Six Flags) and I don’t bring my portfolio, I don’t bring anything. “Where’s your portfolio? Why didn’t you bring anything to show me?” What do I have to show you? I’m an artist, I can draw! Me being a smart ass at the time...sure! I can draw you! “Draw Sylvester Stallone!” So I drew him (too)! He comes back and he’s like “his mouth sucks and it should look like this and that” and I’m like, am I hired? “Yeah, you’re hired”.....and that’s pretty much it.
Who are some of your caricature influences?
I rarely ever look at other artists...well, I'm lying. Of course, I look at other artists. What I’m saying is I'm always referring back to direct experiences. I try not to look. It’s too easy, too tempting to look at things that have been done and problems that have been solved. How did this person, let’s say, solve the problem of hair? Then you see people copying that. I don’t want that. I want to fail and then to figure it out on my own. If I do see it, I’ll try everything I can to not do that, to do it my way. I’m going to make this circle still look like a circle, but in a triangle shape. How? I don’t know, but I’ll make it look that way. It’s always a challenge, and maybe that’s what I’m after. I’m kind of out of the (caricature loop) in a weird way, so when I go to the convention, I see what’s being done, and I’m in awe and admiration... but I don’t think it influences me. It’s more of an appreciation. A lot of influence I get is just from life experience. Some of the most amazing patterns and shapes are from plants...it’s so cliché but it’s hard for me to imagine not being in awe when you go outside and see clouds. Like, “holy shit,” this is amazing! This is where we live! It’s not anything proud, just it’s the simple things. Surroundings, life experiences, that’s really it. That’s really, really it.
What were your expectations and goals for this year’s convention in Ohio? Did you do anything to prepare yourself physically or mentally?
Oh I had no expectations. I even told Jason (Seiler): Look, I’ll go, dude, but I’m not going to compete. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. You’re gonna compete,” he said. The moment I got there, I got really, really excited. Oh man, I couldn’t stop...It was just too much. I was sketching thinking I gotta draw this person, I gotta draw this person! Oh my god, these all suck! There was a lot of pressure.
What were the mediums you used for your wall at the convention?
When I did caricatures before, at the park, it was all pencil and airbrush. I had not touched an airbrush in eight years, but I paint every day. That was the most comfortable thing for me, so I brought my oil paints, and I brought my charcoal and my traditional mediums. When I went to my first convention, there was no digital thing anywhere. Everyone for the most part kind of drew traditionally. This was my third convention. The one thing that was kind of sad to me a little bit was not the fact that they use digital medium, but that people would take a snapshot then run off to their corner. I could never do that. I had to sit there and actually draw a sketch, have to figure out the problems, have the first experience of that person. If you just take a snapshot and go, all you’re doing is interpreting that snapshot.
Tell us how it felt to return after a long break and compete in caricatures again?
First, let me start with, to be an artist is a great privilege. To do caricature, that’s outside of the normal daily routine of things I do. Outside the teaching, outside the painting, outside all the crazy things I want to do, so to me, it’s almost like a luxury in a way. It’s not like I was preparing for anything, but I still do it (caricature). Coming back, it’s not going to change really. I’m still shocked, I can’t believe it (won the Golden Nosey). I did not think that was going to be the case. I didn’t think I was going to win. The only thing I was hoping for, I guess you can say, was the exaggeration part. It’s the only thing I feel...people identify me with.
Tell us about your work outside of caricatures.
For a long time, I wanted to be a conceptual artist and work for a game company or a movie studio, just a freelance conceptual artist. My job, my freelance job, is drawing storyboards. That’s what I do for a living, that’s where I make my money. My teaching, my own work, all the fine art...that’s just something I have fun with. That’s where I can be myself. I have nothing to answer to anyone. That’s where my freedom lies. Storyboarding...it’s just a job and I treat it that way. I never talk about it; it just supports the work that I want to do. It supports the work I want to be represented by.
What are your plans for the future of your art/teaching?
I have a lot of things I want to say. I think a lot of artists spend their whole lives trying to figure out this technique; how to draw, how to paint, how to draw caricatures, but never end up saying much with it, and it’s unfortunate. Like I said, I have a lot of conceptual stuff I’d like to do, and doing caricatures helped. It really did help me think in a certain way. There are so many forms of art and I wish I could do so much more. There’s only so much time in the day, and yeah just kinda gotta split yourself up. I want to get into sculpture one day, hopefully.
Is there anything else you would like to tell the caricature world out there?
I can’t not end this without talking about this. My heart goes out to Glenn (Ferguson) right now. Jason sent me a message telling me about it and I was in complete shock. I knew Freddy, I knew him personally, and he was one of the artists that worked with us and it’s kind of heartbreaking to see that happen. Being an artist, it is a lonely thing if you’re not around support. It really is. The one thing I’m really grateful for is that I have a solid group of friends to support each other. It’s really sad. It’s just a tragedy all around. My heart goes out to Glenn. I just don't know what to say about that. It’s pretty shocking.
Where can people find you and your incredible artwork?
I have a blog, it’s been up since like 2006 (existentialdreams.blogspot.com). If you just type in my name and caricature,
you’ll probably get something. I have a Tumblr (grigoreftimov.tumblr.com) and I have my new website (grigoreftimov.com)...It still needs work.
This Navigation box may not show up on mobile browsers. Please see Exaggerated Features Issue 2016.1 for the full contents of this issue if the navigation box does not display.
