“As an artist, you need to have an open mind to learn and grow,” says Motif cover and tattoo artist Jay Blackburn of Pawtucket, “You’re constantly learning,” he emphasizes. Speaking in his workspace at Unicorn Ink, a tattoo parlor in Lincoln, the artist says he wanted to do something fun and different for the cover. […]
Appropriately, artist and writer Kim Arthurs of Providence created a garden dreamscape for the cover of the outdoors issue. They used a technique called cyanotype, which incorporates the elements of earth, air, water, and fire. Discovered in 1842 by astronomer John Herschel, cyanotype was popularized a year later by botanist Anna Atkins, who released a […]
For the cannabis cover, East Providence skateboard artist Jeff Wheeler used bright, neon colors. “I wanted a black light poster, something people look at when they’re stoned,” he says. Taking center stage in the illustration is the quahog, our Ocean State’s official shellfish. The hard-shelled clam takes a toke and a nearby frog and squirrel […]
Hiya! I’m the Art Director for Motif, doubling as the cover artist for this issue. Here’s a little dispatch from my side of things. The themes for this issue morphed several times, as spring sprang, events settled into the schedule, and articles rolled in. While I trust the artists of this fine state to go […]
A few months ago, cover artist Grechel Rosado of Providence felt like she was burning out. Creating a piece of art every month, while juggling a full-time job, was becoming hard to sustain. Then, she came across The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. “The book shows how to build a relationship with creativity,” Rosado explains, […]
I met Michelle Perez downtown for coffee at Bolt. I was looking forward to getting together because I had been poking around her website and discovered that she is an amazing artist. Imagine my delight when our time over coffee ended up being just as charming as looking at online images of her work in […]
In creating the cover for this issue, Amelia Rozear of Providence says she wanted to depict “the glow of warmth after a cold, cold winter. It’s the grandeur of spring taking over, and taking over someone totally.” A tea lover, one of her favorite cafés is Tea in Sahara; this is evident in her cover […]
I met Michelle Perez downtown for coffee at Bolt. I was looking forward to getting together because I had been poking around her website and discovered that she is an amazing artist. Imagine my delight when our time over coffee ended up being just as charming as looking at online images of her work in […]
Anthony Russo is a freelance illustrator living in Little Compton. His clients include the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, The New Yorker, The New Republic, Esquire, Random House, LA Times, Vanity Fair and others. Russo’s illustrations have brought him awards from Communication Arts, American Illustration, the Society of Illustrators, Graphis Annual, Society of […]
SARA INÁCIO, Providence artist, printmaker, and public engagement maintainer says, “I’ve been into making art for as long as I can remember – I was always the art kid growing up, and by highschool I was vending at markets and doing custom pet portraits on Etsy. Then I went to college for printmaking, and grad […]