CARMINE MAGAZINE

CarmineMagazine: What drives you to create? Also, what inspires you and your work?
Arlene Rieneke: I think the drive to create comes from my need to tell a story in a way that everyone can understand. I tend to have a very short attention span, and often find myself extremely bored while waiting for buses or queuing for a long time. I fill those blank spaces in my head with all manner of stories, images, sometimes from the songs that I listen to, a book that I read, strangers I encounter during my daily trips to and from work, beautiful random passages, or other people’s creations. My teachers taught me to never take everything I see, no matter how ordinary or trivial they seem, for granted. Those are my inspirations.

CM: Were you formally trained in art or self taught? Do you think it has helped you or hindered you?
AR: I studied art and graphic design formally in college, and I think it definitely helps, though perhaps not in the way I expected it to be before. I believe that the real education in art and design happens in life after and outside the confines of formal institutions, yet, at the same time, going to an art school really helps me to reshape the way I view the world and process my thoughts just by sharing opinions, collaborating, and competing in a creative environment. It opens my mind. While I appreciate the education culture in my country, they are often very rigid and one-sided, where you should consider that everything your teacher says is correct, or else. There’s no room for discussions, debates, controversial or politically incorrect opinions. There is such a strong emphasis on marks as well…going to an art school helps me to rid of those narrow-minded thought processes that would have left me an unimaginative person. They encourage me to take risks, be different, and push my potentials. It may seem clichéd, but it’s true.


CM: What mediums do you work in the most? Do you have a particular brand that you love working with? Why do you use them?
AR: My favorite drawing medium is actually the most elementary: pencils. I know mechanical pencils aren’t exactly one’s ideal art medium, but I love its fine point and the rich texture it can create with the right kind of paper and shading. I’m obsessive about miniscule details and tend to draw and color as I go instead of drawing outlines as a whole and coloring it later on, so pencil is an ideal medium for me. I love color pencils as well; they can create a mood both classic and contemporary and again, they are ideal for people who love to draw miniscule details. Another reason to love color pencils: I saw how magical they look on the works of the talented Lilly Piri.
But overall, my medium preference depends on mood. I try not to limit myself to certain mediums. When I’m in the mood for something loose and experimental, I use watercolors.

CM: At what point did you realize that creating was going to be a large part of your life?
AR: I couldn’t remember if there was one definite moment where it dawned on me but I realize I have been much happier and more productive these past one year, having found my calling in illustration and design.

CM: How do you deal with creator’s (or writer’s) block?
AR: For me, a good bookshop is the perfect cure for creative blocks- my favorite stops are Basheer Graphics and the art/design magazine section of Borders. Sometimes there’s a huge difference between browsing through your stack of magazines / reference books at home or on the internet and going to the bookshop. In a bookshop, there’s a sense of boundlessness in finding resources, and the ambience—the rustle of pages being flipped, acoustic music, the smell of coffee—gets my brain working.

CM: How do you prepare for art shows where your work will be shown?
AR: I have only one solo art show so far. It’s a relatively low-key event, and I was lucky that the café management / gallery team had taken care of most of the preparations really wonderfully! For my part, I selected the works to be shown, wrote short individual write-ups for each artwork and made sure that they were all in good and proper condition as they were being delivered to the gallery / café management office.

CM: How do you define you style? Does it represent an inner you or something completely different?
AR: Some people have asked me about the so-called ‘dark and disquieting’ elements in some of my drawings. I find that interesting because I have never seen my works as particularly dark or morbid, although I do attempt to put quirks and twists into familiar themes and imageries, and the twists are often dark, simply because I couldn’t draw something sweet or cute without adding a chopped ear or two. However, I don’t consider myself a dark or overly melancholic individual—I’m a rather silly person. Such interpretation is intriguing, though, and I suppose they have more to do with the things I read and watch as opposed to my own personality.
I don’t know how to describe my own style…I think it’s whimsical and relatively intricate, definitely very feminine in choice of colors, equipped with a twist or sinister undertones to counter its sweetness.

CM: What kind of environment do you need to create in?
AR: I like a lounge or bookshop-like coziness, with soft music and relative quietness. I tend to enjoy working indoors more than outdoors, and I prefer warm, dim lighting to white, bright ones. I like working close to a computer and within internet connection, so I can search for visual references or do other form of researches quickly.

CM: What does your workspace look like? (Pictures or a description work for this one)
AR: My camera is currently on hide-and-seek mode, so I can only provide a verbal description. Hopefully this will do: At home, I mostly do my drawings on a study table, on which perched my four-year-old laptop, a table lamp, a cross, and a ceramic cup full of stationeries—pens, pencil refills, small ruler, ink, color pencils, and perforation cutter. The laptop is connected to a printer-scanner next to my table, where I scan my images and test-print some artworks. I do my cutting and gluing, as well as other form of crafting that requires more space on my bedroom floor, next to the magazine bin, where I stack all my magazines (D&C, Nylon, IdN, Print, etc), layout/design books and drawing tutorials.
My workspace in the office is pretty much the same, except I get to work on a Mac and the room as well as reading collection are far more enviable!

CM: What was your worst experience with art? And the best?
AR: Worst: First year in my Communication Design course. It’s a…long story, which basically boils down to two things: I tried too hard, and did it for all the wrong reasons. I have learned some things from the experience though.
Best: Seeing my artwork published alongside the works of artists and illustrators I admired…it was the most wonderful feeling, it’s absolutely surreal.

CM: What movies, books, music, etc get your creative juices flowing the most?
AR: Magazines: Juxtapoz, Yen, Dazed & Confused, Ppaper (I’ve found only 2 volumes, but I loved it!), IdN, Flaunt, and Print.
Books: Illusive, Curvy, James Jean’s Process Recess.
Music: Sigur Ros, Explosions in The Sky, Jem, piano jazz, acoustic and instrumentals.
Movie: Old Boy, Amelie, Moulin Rouge, Nagi Noda’s short films and music videos.

CM: Do you think the internet, technology, media, etcetera are helping or destroying the art world?
AR: Without internet, I wouldn’t have been able to view so many works of talented but unpublished talents out there, and I wouldn’t have been able to find a platform to showcase and gain feedback for my works as well. I think internet really revolutionizes the medium and process of self-promotion for artists, designers, photographers, writers, etc, making it much easier for those without representatives, agents, or people living in countries with lagging creative industry / lack of good art resources to get their works noticed. It really expands the possibility for idea-sharing, constructive criticisms, and collaborations between people from different continents as well. We become aware of styles and trends that emerged from the other side of the world. The entire universe itself becomes an art classroom. I think technology is a wonderful thing. I suppose there are downsides to this development, but well, there are downsides to every single useful invention out there.

CM: Aside from art what do you do with your time? Is there anything else that drives you or that you’re passionate about?
AR: I grew up with books…I build my world from and through them. I’m not a good writer but I appreciate the beauty of languages and the wit of wordplays and dialogues. I’d like to say I’m a reading junkie. My other hobby, this one inspired by the prolific Roger Ebert, is to dissect movies beyond their superficial layers, not mockingly or dismissingly but in appreciation of someone else’s hard work.

CM: Do you have any upcoming shows, events, releases, etc. you would like our readers to know about?
I’m currently working on a couple of things, but it has to remain a secret for now! Do check out my blog (http://www.crimsonstate.blogspot.com/) for updates though!