Josie Portillo: Paris

Paris, by Josie Portillo.
15% of the sale of this print goes to Pablove Foundation.

Josie Portillo was born, raised, and currently resides in Los Angeles where she works as a freelance illustrator. She enjoys going for walks with her Doxle, playing soccer, and making cannoli.

This is the second time Josie has worked with The Working Proof. She has previously provided the print Allez! to benefit the Pablove Foundation.



About the print:
I've been wanting to work on a series of maps of cities I've traveled to for a while now. I've been to Paris a few times and have a lot of fond memories of some of the places I visited while there. I'm currently illustrating a Venice map too so keep your eyes peeled for that!

This is an archival giclee print on Epson Matte Premium Presentation Paper. Each print was signed by the artist.

PURCHASE!



Your work often features landscapes and cityscapes - how does nature and the city inspire your work?
Being that I'm from a big city like Los Angeles, I'm always feeling really inspired by all the urban landscaping we have here. Not to mention we are surrounded by a lot of natural beauty such as mountains, beaches and deserts. I think all of these things somehow find their way into my illustrations inadvertently.

Why did you choose to pair with Pablove Foundation with your print?
I chose to pair my print with The Pablove Foundation because I was really touched by the story of Pablo Castelaz and all the other children who have battled childhood cancer.



What have you been up to since we last worked together?
Since we last worked together I've worked on a few fun book projects including a graphic novel, which is a first for me. I also recently signed with Bernstein & Andriulli for representation in the US, which is a wonderful agency to be a part of.

How has your work developed over the last year?
Over the last year, I've been having fun experimenting with gouache and watercolor a lot more, I've been mixing digital and traditional mediums and it's resulted in a style I'm quite fond of working in.

What is inspiring you these days?
Lately my work has been inspired by some of my travels, I think I have a bit of nostalgia and wanderlust.

Lotta Nieminen: City of Women

City of Women, by Lotta Nieminen.
15% of the sale of this print goes to Doctors Without Borders.

Lotta Nieminen is an illustrator, graphic designer and art director from Helsinki, Finland. She has studied graphic design and illustration at the University of Art and Design Helsinki and the Rhode Island School of Design, and has worked as a freelancer in both fields since 2006. After working for fashion magazine Trendi, Pentagram Design and RoAndCo Studio, Lotta is now a full-time freelancer based in New York City.

In 2010, Lotta received the Art Directors Club Young Guns award and was selected by Print magazine for its annual New Visual Artists review, highlighting 20 international rising designers under the age of 30. In early 2012 she received the esteemed Junior Award at the Best of the Year advertising and design competition in Finland. Lotta has given talks at the Apple Store in New York, the Rhode Island School of Design and La Cambre University in Brussels, Belgium. She has illustrated for the likes of clients such as Hermes, New York Times, Volkswagen, United Airlines, International Herald Tribune, Monocle, Newsweek, Wired UK and Bloomberg Businessweek.



About the print:
This piece was originally commissioned by Finnish women's magazine Olivia. The article, called City of Women, analyzed studies on what women believed to be the perfect city for them to live in. Illustration elements were chosen based on their answers.

This print is available in multiple sizes. It was digitally signed by the artist. The 8x10 and 11x14 prints are numbered by The Working Proof. Learn more here.
 
PURCHASE!



What has inspired you recently?
Time off. I went full time freelance earlier this year, but decided I still wanted to have a summer vacation. I spent 2 weeks in Finland, on a little island in the middle of the Baltic Sea. Getting bored from time to time is definitely the best inspiration!

Why did you choose to pair with Doctors Without Borders with your print?
I want to donate to Doctors Without Borders, whose tremendous work in helping people I have followed for a long time: bringing quality medical care to people caught in crisis is a humanitarian act that should get all the support it can.



How have you seen art transform the world around you?
I think the impact of art can be seen on an every day basis. Beautiful art can make you emotional, clever design can make you smile, interesting architecture can make you stop. Using the emotional value of art to help people through charities that have the actual keys to really act is a great way of teaming up to change the world around us.

If you could pick one artist to mentor you, who would it be?
American illustrator and artist Maira Kalman, I love her colors and witty sense of humor.

Who are some artists you think people should know about?
Oslo-based illustrator / artist Mari Kanstad Johnsen is a favorite of mine, who has mad color skills!

Tim Walker's out-of-this-world photographs have always been a huge inspiration. I love the surrealist landscapes and proportions he creates. The amount of work that seems to go in the propping of his shoots is also something I find truly impressive.

A more recent photographer crush would be Jody Rogac, whose work has a really beautiful painterly quality.

I also admire Olle Eksell. He was both an illustrator and a graphic designer, and the seemingly effortless way in which he combined both fields in his work has made him one of my biggest inspirations in terms of career description.

Mary Iverson: Palouse Falls with Containters 2

Palouse Falls with Containters 2, by Mary Iverson.
15% of the sale of this print goes to American Forests.

Mary Iverson lives and works in Seattle. Her day job is teaching art at Skagit Valley College. She earned a BFA in illustration from Cornish College of the Arts and an MFA in painting from the University of Washington. Her work is in several collections including Microsoft, Starbucks, Evergreen Shipping Lines in Taiwan, Nordstrom, the City of Seattle, the City of Missoula, the City of Kent, and the Washington State Art Commission Art in Public Places Program.

Her work inspires an environmental dialogue by superimposing stacks of shipping containers and capsized container ships in the landscape. Inspired by the luminous style of the Hudson River School, her oil paintings begin as careful and detailed representations of pristine landscapes. When the illusion is complete, she scratches measurement lines into the surface of the paintings and inserts her containers into the space, nearly destroying the landscape image in the process.



About the print:
This piece was painted after a trip to Palouse Falls State Park in Washington State. The landscape there seems so desolate, and then there is this majestic waterfall in contrast. The topography suggests a post-apocalyptic narrative, so I thought it would be perfect for a shipwreck.

This is a digital print on acid free, Neenah uncoated matte 100lb cover paper that is 80% recycled. It was digitally signed by the artist and was numbered by The Working Proof. Learn more here.
 
PURCHASE!



What has inspired you recently?
This summer, I visited Yosemite National Park with my husband. We had a great time camping and hiking, and I returned to the studio with sketches of the park and inspiration for a new body of work featuring the park.

Why did you choose to pair with American Forests with your print?
I chose American Forests because their mission of preserving forests and ecosystems resonates with the message behind my work. If we don't work together to protect pristine lands, the world may end up looking like my paintings!



How have you seen art transform the world around you?
Art helps us to look at our experiences in new ways, and helps us to face tough questions about our role on this planet.

If you could pick one artist to mentor you, who would it be?
Do Ho Suh. First of all, his work is very powerful. I saw his recent installation "Gate" and it was incredibly moving and memorable. I also love how he weaves an intimate personal history and cultural history in his work. "Gate" also incorporated his connection to nature, which really hooked me in. I would work with him on incorporating new materials and technology for installations, broadening the scope of my exhibitions, and deepening the personal elements of my work.

Who are some artists you think people should know about?
Jenny Odell  
AJ Power  
Ellen Jane Michael
Christopher Gildow