@mister.ship

Instagram: @mister.ship

1. What's your story? Where are you from?

I am MrSHip, a pseudonym I started to use in 2012 after the death of a close friend. I am a first-generation American, born in Chicago with Latino and Polish roots. I am a graphic designer by day and a collage artist by night. Apart from collage art, I try to paint or draw or just create something every day.

2. Tell us about your aesthetic.

Definitely surreal. I am always wishing for something magical to happen, or a new discovery to be around the corner. The subject matter changes. I never find myself in the same mood as yesterday, which affects how the artwork comes out for me. I try my best to not overthink and to just create what I feel at the moment.

3. What is your favourite medium and why?

Any medium that is new to me. The beginning exploration of the limits or limitlessness of a medium is always a rush for me. Combining mediums is also something I love to do, recently I have started to explore combining painting and collage.

4. What is your artistic process like?

I light a pine-scented candle, always pine, turn on some music as loud as it will go and stop thinking. For collages specifically; if I have magazines already, I will start to rifle through them, looking for images that I feel are what I need (if I don’t have magazines I’ll stop by a thrift store on my way home). After choosing images I feel will work together, I cut pieces out, scan the images in and work digitally to create what’s in my head.

5. Who and/or what inspires your work?

Everything. Every single thing can offer inspiration in my life. A conversation with a friend or a stranger may spark an idea. A movie, a song, other artists, an exhausting day; the list is truly never-ending and I am always surprised when I get a whisper of an idea at sometimes the most un-creative times. Going through magazines and looking at what images I have to work with always gets the juices flowing also.

6. What role does art play in your life? How does it change the way you view the world?

Art is ingrained into every part of my life. Apart from time spent creating, I feel I’m always thinking of ways to rearrange ideas in my head or combine different ideas and to just keep exploring.

7. Where did you study?

All over Illinois.

8. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Where exactly, I’m not sure, but most definitely still creating. I started wheat-pasting this past summer, so we’ll see where that goes.

9. What about in ten?

Hopefully still creating.

10. What do you hope to achieve with your art?

For it to be something new or something magical to someone, even for just a second.

11. Now, tell us a little more about you as a person: what is your favourite food?

Anything my mother cooks.

12. Favourite book?

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

13. Favourite genre of music?

Many. From Enya to $uicideboy$

14. What are your hobbies?

Creating anything at all, usually visual.

15. If you weren't an artist, what would you be?

Without art I don't know who I would be, I really couldn’t tell you.