Paragraph Slam Night
John Antoski - Photo by Chris Wellhausen
John Antoski says that the three-dimensional artwork on the cover of this week’s CityBeat was inspired by the daredevils of Niagara Falls—you know, those crazy people who attempt to survive the great plunge in a wooden barrel.
In 2008, Antoski left his home in Calgary, Alberta, and moved to San Diego for a job in print media; today, he’s the associate art director at the locally grown Transworld Snowboarding magazine, where he does everything from designing ads and T-shirts to editorial layout work. Antoski says the do-it-yourself, hands-on nature of the job has been a learning experience that’s good for the 3-D artwork that he makes on the side.
“Bridging the gap between design and fine art, I’m using elements like visual design in the creation of a piece,” he says. “I’m really inspired by the environment, and simple storytelling.”
Antoski already has a solo exhibition planned for next summer—through August—at Subtext Gallery. For the show, he’s making boat oars and painting them with bright, whimsical patterns and facial elements so that each looks like a character. He says that a fable will accompany each oar once the series is complete.
“Living by the ocean is important,” he notes, “and has changed my stuff since I lived in Canada.”
Amy blogs at saysgranite.com and you can follow her on Twitter @saysgranite.
