Face to face

Since childhood I have always wanted to be an illustrator. My uncle Robert Kunz was an illustrator and he influenced me greatly as a child. His motto was ‘Art for Education’. So, that’s where I got the idea that art could exist within a larger societal framework, and could actually be used not necessarily just for decoration but for larger purposes such as education.
Upon leaving school I came to know great illustrators of the time like Ralph Steadman, Sue Coe, Russell Mills, Marshall Arisman and Brad Holland. I became aware that art could have power in conjunction with the printed word, and could actually be influential.
I think I’d like to be a visual journalist. But things have been changing so much recently. It’s very difficult to get anything controversial published here in the US which is more conservative than it used to be. Until recently art directors had more power and illustrators like me had more autonomy, that is much more freedom of creativity.

Regarding art history, I have been quite self-schooled and my personal taste emulates that of the old masters like Botticelli. Currently, I suppose I am less inspired by other artists than by great thinkers in the field of science or anthropology. I feel as though I am a lifelong learner and my images are the natural extension of what I think and believe.
However, I love art and there are so many young artists emerging that I am always thrilled to discover new talents.
In my view, when one has to tackle a very serious subject and make it palatable to a big audience, humor is always a good way to try.
I do like using distortion when I draw. I think it’s just a way to exaggerate and make ideas clearer. In the past 10 years I have also made a series of hybrid human/animal images. I got that idea after watching a lecture on human and animal genetic similarities.
I still paint traditionally but utilize the computer in other ways, like the Internet and the Photoshop. The starting point in my work is a single idea. The technique is the way to finish my thoughts visually. It’s all about transmitting ideas. I like the kind of work that is narrative and tells a story or conveys a point of view.
www.anitakunz.com