January
2003
Artist
Profile: Six questions with Trenton airbrush artist James Carey
By
Leon Rainbow
How
and why did you get into airbrushing?
I became curious about airbrushing as a hobby back in 1995 when
fingernail airbrushing was really starting to grow in popularity.
I wanted to learn how to airbrush fingernails. In April of 2000
and also 2001, I attended an airbrush getaway seminar for five days
in Atlantic City. This is where I learned freehand techniques and
other cool airbrushing tricks by some of the best in the business.
From there, my curiosity grew to painting portraits, clothing and
temporary tattoos.
What are your specialties?
My specialty at the present moment is portrait painting, but there
are so many other directions that you can go with the airbrush the
possibilities are just endless. There's also a big interest in makeup
and body painting, also with all the motorcycles around I'm sure
there's a need for customized art on helmets and gas tanks. A friend
asked me to paint a mural on vertical blinds for a room in her new
house. It was a great idea and it gave me a chance to expand my
knowledge of surfaces to work with.
What do you think about the art scene in Trenton?
It's fascinating. This is all so new to me; there is so much talent
in Trenton that a lot of it goes unnoticed. (Trenton) First Fridays
have made it possible for a lot of artists to showcase their abilities.
I also think that Trenton is starting to turn heads in a positive
way once again with all the rebuilding being done in the city.
Who are some of your influences?
I grew up admiring Picasso and Dali, but with airbrushing I would
have to say Terry Hill and Kent Lind for t-shirt painting and Meinrad
Froschin, Henry Ascencio and Steven Driscoll for their photorealism
in portraits. These guys are amazing airbrush artists.
How is the studio coming together?
It's coming along great, at this point I'm using it as a gallery
but it should be operational by the New Year.
Where
would you like to be artistically in 5 years?
Hopefully I will have added automobiles, motorcycles and clothing
among my many airbrushed specialties.
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