Blurb from YAMS:

Are you contemplating cosmetic surgery? If yes, where? Do you know anyone with rhinoplasty? According to the statistics from 2009, it is a ten billion dollar market. I look forward to 2010′s total expenditures. Truly, I wish this infographic was available when I published The Push Episode. It would have been a great addition! Readers, to purchase our latest magazine, kindly click here to order 3/3 magazines!

Modern medical science has afforded us the ability to change nearly anything we don’t like about our appearances. Americans are taking advantage is larger and larger numbers. In fact, more than 12 million people had some form of cosmetic surgery in 2009. This is a look that the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures in the country.

Infographic by GOOD

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Photo: The Signtologist

Blurb from YAMS:

Often, the power of meaningful social networking underestimates. Nearly a month ago, I shared a conversation with Plastic God and through that relationship, Signtologist became “the homie.” Sharing a relationship of friendship and respect with Colorado Emcee Whygee, when Whygee came to my home a few days ago, quickly he spotted The Signtologist stickers on my desktop computer and immediately took a picture. I say that to say the love that most Denver artists show to each other is enchanting. You should practice it. For more information about The Signtologist, kindly click here. For a high-resolution of this video, visit our Vimeo profile. Thanks.

About the Signtologist:

DUNN, aka ‘The Signtologist’ recycles discarded street signs as a canvas for his unique art.
Dunn’s work has appeared in dozens of national outlets including XXL and he has created art for hundreds of athletes, artists and musicians such as Ludacris, Spike Lee, Pharrell Williams and Slick Rick to name a few.

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Piercing the liquid crystal display screen to experience, the techniques, in which, enrich Ryden’s body of work, as I would in a gallery, “ah” and I “oh” as if I am the widow of an adorned art collector… the words-dialogue of the 2001 drama “Bride of the Wind” embellishes my thoughts, it somehow fits…

With the ability, rights, and encouragement to boast gaily about his mythical portfolio, star-studded clientele, and catchy name, Mark Ryden is far from the average Joe… he looks like a good ryde. (See portrait below.)

Rosie's Tea Party by Mark Ryden Oil on Canvas

Currently, ripping the long, quaint art walk in New York City, Ryden has designed album covers for Ringo Starr, Butthole Surfers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the late Michael Jackson and is endeared by some of Hollywood’s best.

Hailing from the beautiful and art-oozed city of Los Angeles, California, Ryden brings mystique, familiar, and day-nightmares titled “The Gay 90’s: Old Tyme Art Show” to Paul Kasmin Gallery until June 5.

The Angel of Meat Oil on Panel 38"

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Photos: Courtesy of Sonia Garcia Moreno

Blurb from YAMS:

I enjoy Sonia Garcia Moreno’s use of colour and her personality. What makes her more compelling is her story. For Sonia Garcia Moreno’s portfolio, kindly click here.

Sonia Garcia Moreno’s Bio (Translated by Jenni Wu):

In her work, artist and designer Sonia Garcia Moreno (born 1980 in Bremen, Germany) handles topics like finding your identity and general identity issues. Moreno, who lives in Berlin now, digests her personal experiences and the overcoming of psychic problems in her mash-ups, as well as sexual issues and her own migration background as a daughter of a Spanish immigration family. The collages/mash-ups are half handmade and half computer generated.

Title: The Crazy Chick

Personal:

GrungeCake: Who is Sonia Garcia Moreno? What is her personality like? What are her pet peeves? What makes her laugh, uncontrollably? What was she doing before the online social networking phenomenon?

Sonia Garcia Moreno: I’m the daughter of Spanish immigrants in Germany. I love life and hate when people walk too slowly in front of me and stop all of a sudden. Sometimes when I lie in bed at night and think about the day, I burst into laughter. When I feel over-socialised I become a little aloof.

Title: Economic Crisi

GrungeCake: Does she watch a lot of television? Does she read newspapers? What is your take on the current state of world politics? What makes an ideal weekend for Sonia Garcia Moreno?

Sonia Garcia Moreno: I rarely watch television, only sometimes for the news. I don’t buy newspapers either, I get my information through the web or magazines. But, I can’t tell you a lot about world politics. My ideal weekend contains the following things: art, culture, and an occasional techno party.

Illustration:

Title: Vagina Valentina

GrungeCake: I am easily attracted to your personal works. Explain ‘Vagina Valentina’. What’s behind the title?

Sonia Garcia Moreno: “Vagina Valentina” was supposed to become a play for the theater in which Valentina snarfs chocolates from people who are in love. Eventually, she got punished and sentenced to work at a beer factory.

Title: The Taxman

GrungeCake: Like my friend, Benjamin Stasola, I recognize a repetition of colours in certain pieces; The Taxman, Vagina Valentina, The Crazy Chick, Economic Crisi, The Zeldoxes, and Waiting to Die. Are these pieces part of a series? What is/are the message/s you want to share with your fans?

Sonia Garcia Moreno: Yes, they’re part of a series while the Zeldox images came first. They all deal with personal daily life experiences, coping with psychic states of crisis and questions of sexuality.

Title: Zeldox #1

Title: Zeldox #2

Title: Zeldox #3

GrungeCake: Do you enjoy working with mixed media? What do you use to illustrate? Are you sketching with pencil on paper or are you a tablet illustrator?

Sonia Garcia Moreno: I love the mixture of analogue and digital. I draw with an ink pen and colorize on the computer.

GrungeCake: How long have been in the visual arts business? Is there a demand for your style of illustration in Berlin, Germany?

Sonia Garcia Moreno: I’ve been working as an artist for a couple of years with a special emphasis on techniques. I’ve borrowed from classic illustration. Berlin’s art scene is quite open minded and doesn’t judge when people cross the line between illustration and the arts.

GrungeCake: Which artists (or objects) are you most influenced by? Have you influenced other artists?

Sonia Garcia Moreno: Daily life is my motor. What inspires me is this city and my environment. Of course, I enjoy exhibitions, museums or theaters. But mostly I profit from my experiences with fellow artists. They keep me going. I think it’s a mutual benefit.

Title: Waiting to Die

Graphic Design:

GrungeCake: Is your graphic design works your “bread and butter work”?

Sonia Garcia Moreno: Yeah… it’s funy: I am also often asked what I prefer: design or the arts. But I don’t wanna make that segregation. I think it’s more clever if you call it culture.

GrungeCake: What is good design? What is bad design?

Sonia Garcia Moreno: When it comes to design, I’m a purist. Less is more. I like simple clarity. To me, bad design is everything that screams for attention and makes me wish for a moment of peace.

GrungeCake: Is GrungeCake popular in your city? What are suggestions that can help to make GrungeCake popular in your city?

Sonia Garcia Moreno: Well, social networking is a global thing and maybe you should do more over here, because GrungeCake isn’t too visible in Berlin. Nevertheless, I always have the feeling that it works on a word-to-mouth level, too, especially in Berlin. So, I’ll spread the word.

GrungeCake: What do you think about our website? Is there any particular artist or thing that you like about our website?

Sonia Garcia Moreno: What I like about GrungeCake is that there’s a print version besides the weblog. I love a fresh print mag in my hands from time to time; I hope it’ll stay an important medium in the digital age.

GrungeCake: What’s next for Sonia Garcia Moreno?

Sonia Garcia Moreno: I WANT TO EAT MORE CARROTS.

Photos: http://flyingmouse365.com

Blurb from YAMS:

Telling stories through t-shirts is their motto and we are listening. For more, kindly click here.

Flying Mouse’s Mission:

The FM 365 project is the result of Flying Mouse’s Project of doing one design per day for a whole year! Every week there will be 7 new products available! These 7 new products will be available for a quick pre-sale at a lower price for the entire week and once the week ends there will be 7 newer products to replace them and so on. These designs are printed on super-soft American Apparel tees so you can wear your favorite Flying Mouse designs in comfort everywhere you go!

[showtime]

Scott Blake Designs

Blurb from YAMS:

Over three years ago, when taking necessary legal actions to protect my ideas and title for GrungeCake Magazine, I came across Blake’s work when searching for a barcode company. In The Virgin Episode, you can find Fun Facts about Scott Blake’s work, his Barcode Jesus, Madonna, and a self-portrait. To order The Virgin Episode, click here. For more Scott Blake, click here.

Scott Blake’s Bio:

Scott Blake was born in Tampa, Florida is the autumn of 1976. Nearing the turn of the millennium, Blake created a series of artworks that involved reworkings of barcodes to create artwork. Barcode art was something that quickly became an internet thread. It was largely unknown exactly where this fad had originated from. His work has been shown at various galleries and featured in magazines such as The New York Times, FHM and Adbusters. His site has also been translated in many languages. For his efforts and vision, he was recognized by the Adobe Design Achievement Awards, held in the Guggenheim Museum NYC. He currently lives in Omaha, Nebraska.

Similar to the works of Pop Art, Scott Blake elected to use usual everyday images to produce his art. His early works were based entirely on the idea of creating images and art from barcodes, which are ubiquitous in today’s world. But unlike Pop Art, he used barcodes as a tool and image, such as his portraits which were made entirely from bar codes. Blake had started this project around the time of the Y2K bug craze and the turn of the millennium. Around this time, there was a craze with barcode style artworks and designs. It is unclear whether Scott Blake had direct input on this popularized phenomena.

In 2003, Blake created Downloading Pixels which shows a progression of downloaded pixels that in turn become an image that could be viewed on a monitor or mobile device. Like John F. Simon Jr’s Every Icon, each pixel is an image that loads up at different intervals to make the image seem like an animation, caused by the changing pixels. Both Every Icon and Downloading Pixels use a system of algorithms with basic image data to form images. Visitors to the website can adjust the size of the overall image by selecting from many image sizes (such as 48×48, 192×192, 300×300, or a very large 972×972). There are also options for different styles, which define styles and colors. After the settings are adjusted, the image is then based on the browser technology, internet connection speed, and device. So this work looks differently on an iPhone as compared to a PC running Mozilla FireFox.

Photos: Sarah Rosado

Sarah Rosado’s Bio:

Sarah was born in New York. Her passion for Art began to develop at an early age. In school she excelled in Art class and was awarded many certificates for her detailed drawings. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago when she decided to dedicate herself to her Art, completely. She mastered the paint program in Microsoft and later moved on to more sophisticated paint software. Her work is a combination of Cartoon with Humor. Today, she has over 70 Art pieces that are part of her collection and it continues to grow. Sarah’s long term goal is to eventually have a business where her work can be displayed on children and adult apparel.

GrungeCake: You are originally from New York. What city in New York are you from?

Sarah Rosado: I was born in the Bronx; a city that many perceive negatively. However, I prefer to focus on the positive side of it. Many stars, political figures and fashion designers are originally from this great city. For example, Jennifer Lopez, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Colin Powell, etc.

GrungeCake: What was it like growing up in that city?

Sarah Rosado: There are lots of wonderful memories that I have growing up in the Bronx. As a child, my family often took me to the Bronx Zoo, Botanical Gardens, Yankee Stadium, and Van Courtlandt Park for barbecues. I was never allowed to hang out in the streets with the other kids in the neighborhood who spent summers cooling off by getting wet in the open fire hydrants or celebrating 4th of July by popping as much fireworks as they wanted.

GrungeCake: Are there any illustrators in your family?

Sarah Rosado: Yes, I have an uncle who is a great artist. His illustrations are based on landscapes and human anatomy. I also have an aunt who loves drawing fashion design illustrations. We get along very well since we have so much in common. Usually we share and critique each other’s work.

GrungeCake: Does your family approve of your career path?

Sarah Rosado: Of course they do. My family is supportive of my career path and agrees that I have the talent to succeed. My passion for art is something they have always been aware of since as a child I was always drawing and during the holidays, my gifts were all art related.

GrungeCake: Where would you say this ‘trait’ derives?

Sarah Rosado: Art is something that runs in both my family trees. On my father’s side the Art of music is shared among uncles and cousins who learned to play instruments on their own. On my mother’s side is the art of drawing. There are uncles, aunts, cousins, and even my twin brother who all have the inborn trait of drawing. I can say that my trait derives from them.

GrungeCake: Describe your workflow. On average, how long does it take per illustration?

Sarah Rosado: It depends. If my illustration requires a lot of detail then it can take me an entire day or two to complete. I’m a perfectionist and usually I spend many hours making changes until completely satisfied. Other illustrations, I can usually complete within a few hours.

GrungeCake: Are you available for hire?

Sarah Rosado: Absolutely. It would be a great satisfaction to know that I am getting paid to draw but the biggest satisfaction would come from someone actually noticing my work and agreeing to do something productive with it.

GrungeCake: What kind of student were you in school? Not so much academically, but what was your personality or cliché?

Sarah Rosado: Academically, I have to admit I was not at the top of the class, although I was doing well, but in the arts, I always excelled. I always got an “A” in all my art classes.

GrungeCake: Was your style one that your teachers or professors praised?

Sarah Rosado: My teachers always praised me for my artistic skills and always encouraged me.

GrungeCake: Your tagline says that your cartoons are humorous. Is this denotation based on your humour or the humour of most?

Sarah Rosado: I would say my denotation is based on the humour of most because what I write is something that everyone can relate to in their everyday life.

GrungeCake: How long have you been in the illustration business? What are your accomplishments? Have you worked for any newspapers or magazine?

Sarah Rosado: I can say that I have perfected my illustration skills, however, I have not worked professionally for any newspaper or magazine. My dream of course, is to eventually have a comic strip on a newspaper or magazine or even write and draw children books.

GrungeCake: You want to move your works to clothing for adults and children. What are you plans to make this a reality? How long do you think it would take to come into fruition?

Sarah Rosado: At this time, my goal is to start a small business by printing my art onto children and adult apparel. It would probably take me another year as I gather enough funds to purchase the equipment needed for this purpose.

GrungeCake: Ms. Rosado, we wish you well on your path of becoming a successful illustrator and businesswoman.

Photos: Charlie Lucas

Blurb from YAMS:

Lucas’ work reminds me of Short Circuit‘s Johnny 5. Birmingham native Charlie Lucas is a self-taught artist known as “Tin Man” for his sculptures made from found scrap metal. His pieces have been showcased in museums and galleries across the U.S. and in Europe. Enjoy his quotes below.

I think I been introduced to art, whatever you want to call it, a long time ago. That I didn’t even know what it was is I’d say when I was a kid. I was always making things and nobody never told me that it was art, and I don’t even see it as art anyway.

I go to like the scrap yards. I go to dump sites. And I want kids to see this thing.- I don’t want them to see it in the shiny, in the newness of it. I don’t even attempt to paint so much of my work. My sculpture I kind of leave them natural with the pieces. Because you want the kids to see the whole society is not shiny and pretty, glamorous that we pretend it is, because it’s not. If we was to really peel ourselves back and look at the true part of ourselves, we would be some of the ugliest things you want to see.

It’s kind of like being a kid. You get to play with your toys and you get to play with them in a way that people look at you and say,” he’s like in the back yard but he won’t bite”. You’re content to be who you want to be inside of the back yard. This is to me is basically my back yard in a way. I’m content to come out and work on my toys.

Photos: Courtesy of Ahmed and Samer Fouad

Ibrahim Ahmed’s Bio:

Born and raised in the Middle East, Ibrahim Ahmed was originally trained as a writer. While pursing a writing major at Rutgers University, Ahmed embraced his life-long interest in the fine arts. Working with both traditional and non-traditional media- like found windowpanes- he has developed a unique aesthetic.

Ahmed’s aesthetic is subtlety abstract in subject but immensely powerful when seen in the flesh. His larger than life glass pieces gently hint at a Middle Eastern influence, due to his use of arabesque patterns and translucent warm tones. Ahmed’s work is evocative of a stain glass tradition from Eastern Europe and the Middle East during the late 16th and 17th centuries. This stylistic revivalism not only harkens the viewer back to a traditional form of art, but also recreates a sense of immense power that was once seen in this form.

Interestingly, the sensual and sophisticated beauty of Ahmed’s windows evolves from a place of darkness. These pieces, which are exhibited in specific and intricate installations, were inspired by Ahmed’s childhood in Bahrain. In a recent interview the artist spoke of his recollections of windows that were taped across to protect them from breaking during a potential bombing. Ahmed has turned feelings that were once terrifying into something constructive and irresistibly beautiful.

Ibrahim Ahmed’s fine artwork is constantly evolving as he expands his use of media, style, and inspiration. His work has been shown all over New York City and Newark, New Jersey.

GrungeCake: What is the Arabic word for “yams”?

Ibrahim Ahmed III: The Arabic word for yams is baa-taa-ta. Assuming that we’re talking about ‘sweet potato’ yams.

GrungeCake: Most artists shy away from exploring other artists’ works for inspirations in fear of copying or emulating someone else’s style. Does this statement stand valid for you?

Ibrahim Ahmed III: Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten the chance to go gallery hopping much. It’s unintentional, I don’t avoid going to shows, I just don’t get the opportunity to go much. I will say that I do enjoy learning various philosophies of fellow artists, or methods. It’s how I evolved into my style of work; fusing Abstract Expressionist philosophy and Islamic Calligraphy/Arabesque work.

GrungeCake: As an inactive fine artist, I feel your markings come from somewhere unknown, yet familiar. It takes me back to art history class. In our current world of fast-paced mass-communication and omni-digital tastes, you serve as my time capsule and source of rejuvenation. Thank you.

Ibrahim Ahmed III: Well I’m honored, really.

GrungeCake: Which artist’s masters or amateurs, have you completely enjoyed and recommended to other artists?

Ibrahim Ahmed III: I’ve always loved three artists, either for their philosophy, method, art, or simply their raw character, and they are as follows (in no particular order): Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, and Jean Michel Basquiat.

GrungeCake: In a recent interview, you spoke of your recollections of windows taped across to protect them from breaking during a potential bombing. Intelligently, you have been able to turn feelings that were once terrifying into something constructive and irresistibly beautiful. Do you feel there is a connection between that and the objective of GrungeCake?

Ibrahim Ahmed III: A contemporary art advisor who I work with, Jasmine Wahi, has emphasized the emersion of beautiful art through conflict, and I think it’s a sentiment that is also present in GrungeCake. I truly dig the attitude of it, the visuals, and taking upcoming artists (unknowns and the neglected) and giving them an outlet of exposure, a voice. There is some sort of parallel. I’ve taken an experience, living in Bahrain during the first Gulf War, and rather than be political and angry about it, I took something as irrelevant and miniscule as windows and brought it to the fore front, I gave the memory of my father taping windows a voice, so that others could experience it on a different level.

GrungeCake: What does “GrungeCake” mean to you? Will you share this link with all of your friends and family? What do you think about our website, www.grungecake.com?

Ibrahim Ahmed III: GrungeCake, I feel (since I was, and still am a big fan of Nirvana), is homage to the Grunge movement, which was not only a sound, but a look and a lifestyle. Take all those things and bake it in an oven and you got yourself a cake served in a magazine: GrungeCake.

GrungeCake: You have stated, “I strongly believe that any form of expression, if genuine, is sacred, and that not everything has to have a message or an explanation. The Source of all creativity is infinite and boundless, and sometimes, especially for me, cannot be explained in words, but can definitely be captured in visual form.” Is this the reason for the “Untitled” entitlements? What do the equations stand for in your titles? Ie: Untited 6+7.

Ibrahim Ahmed III: This is the reason why my latest paintings are all Untitled, yes, but it was also because when I first started painting, I would title my paintings. What I found out was that if I named a painting, say, The Worshipper (which is the name of an actual painting of mine) the viewer would always ask me: ‘Where is the worshipper? I don’t see it”. I felt this took away from the work, and that the viewer would miss out on the experience of just taking the painting in for what it was, rather than trying to find the titles’ literal meaning within the painting.

The equations in the painting aren’t an equation, the + sign is merely painting 6 AND 7. Most of my earlier works have been diptych or triptych, so instead of typing ‘and’ my web designer, Michael Mckeon put the + sign.

GrungeCake: Have you discovered yourself as an artist?

Ibrahim Ahmed III: I definitely feel that my voice as an artist has broken in. What I do with that voice is the fun part. Do I want to serenade the world with a voice like Barry White, or Marvin Gaye? Or do I want to catch it off guard by singing like Kurt Cobain, or Cedric Bixler Zavala? I’m having a good time going back and forth nonetheless.

GrungeCake: Which do you enjoy more, contemporary installments or abstract painting? Do you enjoy any modern contemporary artists?

Ibrahim Ahmed III: I enjoy both contemporary installments and abstract paintings. I definitely enjoy and LOVE Mark Bradford, whom I had the pleasure of meeting over the summer at his second showing at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. I dig Ayad Alkadhi’s work, Dahlia Elsayed is another artist who I absolutely admire and respect visually and philosophically.

GrungeCake: The voice that you speak of hearing whilst creating: is it an inner-voice or a celestial voice?

Ibrahim Ahmed III: The voice I hear is an inner voice, but I do believe that the voice in us is a celestial one. We are created from the Creator, and therefore it is in us all. Listening to that voice, is listening to the Creative Source.

GrungeCake: Safi music is a large part of who you are as an artist. Could you recommend some Safi music for us to create to?

Ibrahim Ahmed III: I could and would be honored to recommend some artists. The Sufi musician I’m familiar with, on a mainstream level that is attainable online, or in a store, would be the one and only Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Now what he did was specifically called Qawwali music, but it is considered Sufi music, which ultimately venerates the Prophets of the three main Abrahmic Faiths. Other musicians I know would be literally impossible to find, because they’re local guys from my father’s village in Egypt.

GrungeCake: What was your experience like showing with Poster Boy at the JaJo Gallery?

Ibrahim Ahmed III: My experience showing with Poster Boy and Aakash Nihalani, the other artist in the show, was challenging. Here I am working with, what people would call a ‘street artist’, and I’m what people would call a ‘fine artist’ (not claiming one to be better than the other). I remember asking myself ‘How am I going to share a space with someone creating art that is completely different than mine, make it look like one show without either of us losing artistic integrity?’. Before that show, I was only doing two-dimensional work; working on canvas, plexi glass whatever other flat surfaced objects I could find. I was initially supposed to work on large plexi glass piece hanging from the ceiling, but when we found out that this was a liability (the plexi would have snapped due to how large and how heavy it was) I could no longer hang my work across the ceiling. I was stuck with this dilemma two weeks before the show. I had a very small budget, and I wasn’t left with many other options after the fact. I thought of just going to a junkyard and finding car doors to work on, when the co-owner of Jajo, Rebecca Jampol, recommended I find windows from local junkyards. So I went on a hunt, in Newark, for windows and got to work. It was because of that show that I started using found objects (working in the ‘assemblage’ arena of art) and those objects happened to be windows, radiator mesh, and street sweepers’ metal bristles, which I made my arabesque patterns with. The rest is kind of history. So in conclusion I’d say it was an experience that helped me grow as an artist; every artists’ dream.

GrungeCake: Have you read the post via animalnewyork.com? How do you feel about being denoted “some other guy” as your prefix?

Ibrahim Ahmed III: Shit happens. If someone wants to write a blog, or an article on a show; doing research about everyone involved in the show would benefit you as a ‘journalist’. To refer to any artist as ‘some other guy’, well it’s a lack of investigative work.

GrungeCake: Kindly list the galleries you have shown.

Ibrahim Ahmed III:

2009

Window Spaces, Atlantic Assets Pop Up Space, Brooklyn, NY
Vessel, Rupert Ravens Gallery, Newark, NJ
Converse 4 A Cure, The SEED Gallery, Newark, NJ
Razors Tape & Glass, Jajo Gallery, Newark, NJ
ArtReach XVII, City WithOut Walls, Newark, NJ
One City, Jajo Gallery, Newark, NJ
Giving Cancer the Boot: A Silent auction for Ovarian Cancer, New York, NY

2008

Contemporary Art Network – New York, NY
Soul on Skin-Breast Cancer Recovery through Tattoo Art, New York, NY

2007

Group Exhibition, Columbia University, New York, NY
Drawing the Line Against Domestic Violence: A Silent Auction, New York, NY

2006

Group Show, Academy Street Firehouse, Newark, NJ
MSA Group Exhibition, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ

GrungeCake: Do you feel fans and onlookers get your work?

Ibrahim Ahmed III: Hmmm. The fans and onlookers. I don’t know if it’s about getting the work when it comes to abstract expressionist art. I feel as though I’ve translated the Creative Sources ‘message’ correctly if the onlooker and fans feel it. It’s about, at least for me, making the viewers feel something; undeniable and true, and that those feelings are powerful and potent.

GrungeCake: You were born in the Middle East and trained as a writer. Have you neglected your writing skills for free form, abstract illustration, and installation? Which styles of writing did you practice at Rutgers University? Were the writing exercises intense? Which were your favourite? Which were your least favourite?

Ibrahim Ahmed III: You know the word neglect makes me feel guilty, because I have left writing behind, although creative expression is a language that has many dialects. It’s like me speaking Arabic in the Egyptian dialect, rather than speaking the Bahraini dialect to which I was accustomed speaking whilst I living there. I can speak both, but regardless I am speaking Arabic. I see it as the same thing with writing and painting/visual arts. At Rutgers I studied English Literature, which ranged from American Contemporary to the Greek classics. My least favourite was the Greek classics (my professors would kill me if they knew I said this). Now, my favourites: Hemmingway, Baldwin, Vonnegut, Mahfouz, Kincaid, Bulosan, all of which are contemporary American, or novelists who focused on the subject matter of immigration, which I related to of course being an immigrant myself. The writing was always intense, and I think it was all that writing, I was forced to do, that turned me off from it all. I want to return to it one day, but I feel there is too much that communicates threw me that writing would limit it at this point in time.

GrungeCake: I am in love with Chuck Taylor’s. How can I get my hands on a pair of your designs? Are they for sale? Where can I pick them up?

Ibrahim Ahmed III: Thank you. I actually did those Chucks for a non-profit organization called ‘Converse4acure‘, which is about bringing awareness to sickle cell anemia. They threw a function to raise funds, so the founder, Ediomi Utuk, collected a bunch of artists, predominantly from Newark (where there is an upcoming art scene), to draw, craft, design Chucks to auction off. The Gold pair, on my Facebook, were inspired by Muhammad Ali. I just thought, ‘what would he wear?’, and called them FLAB SLAB (Fly Like A Butterfly, Sting Like A Bee). To get a pair people usually put a request in on my Facebook page, they buy the pair and I draw on them. Then I hand them over. Very one on one basis and simple. Everyone I’ve done anything for have been in the tri-state area.

GrungeCake: What’s next on the agenda of Ibrahim Ahmed?

Ibrahim Ahmed III: Well, what’s next? Let’s see. This year Resin Denim will be launching their high end denim line, which is featuring my artwork in the pocket lining. I’m also thinking about getting back to the human figure; particularly working with a transgender woman, Gisele, formerly known as Gisele Xtravaganza (from the House of Xtravaganza). The series is called ‘Transferred Soul‘. Where and when I’m showcasing this project? I don’t know as of yet, because it’s still in the works. I think that’s all I have really planned for short term goals this year, everything else will fall in place.

GrungeCake: Lastly, I wanted to tag that I have known you for quite sometime via the MySpace experience. Though we have yet to meet in real life, you have managed to capture me with your subtleties, art wise, and your mention of a hookah bar. You have a done a good job, might I add. Haha, you owe me a hookah bar date.

Ibrahim Ahmed III: All these compliments, thank you! We have known each other via the cyber world for quite a while now. Funny we haven’t met in person, yet. We definitely should roll to a hookah spot. You tell me when and where and I’ll be there. You’re in NY right?

GrungeCake: Yes, I am. Haha.

Photo: Courtesy of Akeara

GrungeCake: Tell us about Akeara.

Akeara: I was born in Arkansas. Raised in Memphis, Tennessee. I always had an intense love for anything artistic. Whether it was music, painting or acting, I was interested. My high school offered Creative and Performing Arts. I chose acting. I never dreamed that graphic designing would open the doors it would for me.

Photo: Courtesy of Akeara

GrungeCake: Are you academically trained or are you self-taught?

Akeara: I would say I’m the trial and error. I would look through tutorials and break down the tools of the programs to see how they work. My own frustration was a way for me to become better.

GrungeCake: Who is your favourite designer?

Akeara: Who is your favourite designer? My all time favorite designer is a guy by the name of Adhemas Batistas. He has mastered the transition from paper to illustration. I dedicated a piece to him entitled, BEST WISHES BATISTA. He is intricate in detail.

GrungeCake: Your designs are magical. How often are you in practice?

Akeara: I try to do a new piece just for myself whenever I feel my inspiration at the top of its level. The more I become emerged with creating new art, the more I come into myself as an artist.

Photo: Courtesy of Akeara

GrungeCake: When creating graphics, when is ‘eye catching’ “too much”?

When you don’t use your own opinion and you’re going off of something else you see and when you start to fill with a sense of conceit. Each design is like a fingerprint. Every designer’s style is their own. When you start to become a clone of another designer, you’ll lose yourself, even if the work is beautiful.

Photo: Courtesy of Akeara

GrungeCake: When creating graphics, what do you feel is the most important aspect: Planning, design or implementation and why?

Akeara: Implementation. THE WHOLE PROCESS. No architect builds without a solid plan or an idea. It’s the same way with graphic artist/designers. The key is to not over-think it and create what you feel. Resources are also very important. An artist is only as good as his resources. Where are you pulling your inpiration from without stealing someone else’s creativity? So, it definitely is a step by step process. Once you learn the structure, you have a different view on how an artist works.

GrungeCake: Do you have a website? How can we contact you?

Akeara: I have a website in the works! It will integrate my photography with my graphic designing. It is to push the plan I want to set out for the future.

Photo: Courtesy of Akeara

GrungeCake: What’s next for Akeara?

Akeara: I am very passionate when I say, “I want to be the one you see in magazines…” and I don’t mean in my physical sense. I mean my work. I want to move into editorial designing using photography and designing of my own. One of my favorite magazines is Harper’s Bazaar. I want to, one day, be able to open the book and see my work.