@mo_kerwin

Instagram: @mo_kerwin Dribbble: www.dribbble.com/mo_kerwin Behance: www.behance.net/mo_kerwin Website: www.mo-kerwin.com  

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

Hi! I’m Mo, originally from Michigan. I recently moved to Berlin after living in Wroclaw, Poland for four years. I only started doing illustration in the past year or so, and am finally (this month) leaving my job as a UX Designer to pursue it full-time. I can’t wait!

2. Tell us about your aesthetic.

I like images that are very simple but have an element of imperfection or surprise.

3. What is your favourite medium and why?

So far I’m most into working in Illustrator, I guess because for me it’s the quickest route to having something I can use for something. I’m impatient.

4. What is your artistic process like?

Some thinking and Google-image-searching. A rough sketch on paper. Paste into Illustrator and draw again. Pencil tool!

5. Who and/or what inspires your work?

I love spotting things in my daily life, like old shop signs or weirdly packaged products. I also follow a lot of awesome illustrators on Instagram.

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

I've always needed to make things, but I've never really considered it art. I don’t know if it changes the way I view the world. More like, art is the human reflection of the world —without it you’d have a pretty dismal existence.

7. Where did you study?

I studied at the University of Michigan —a lot of subjects completely unrelated to art (History, Creative Writing, Asian Studies, Archives and Records Management, Human-Computer Interaction...).

8. Where do you see yourself in five years?

I hope I’m doing a lot of editorial work. But as long as I can support myself through illustration, I’ll be pretty happy.

9. What about in ten?

I think I'll be ready to write a novel in ten years.

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

I have no particular goal in mind, except to keep making things and see what happens.

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

Maybe Thai green curry.

12. Favourite book?

I really can't pick one. Patricia Highsmith is a favorite author. Lately I’ve been reading a lot of Graham Greene. Look me up on Goodreads if you want!

13. Favourite genre of music?

Some artists I never get tired of are John Cale, New Order, Protomartyr and the Verlaines. Whatever genre that is.

14. What are your hobbies?

Reading, walking around, going to concerts, playing bass with Biggest Rat.

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

I’ve always wanted to be a private detective.