SUPER CHILL INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST/ILLUSTRATOR JASON FREENY

BIO-BLURB:

Jason created his first fictional anatomy in 2000 with his depiction of the mythological “Incubus”. Armed with a youthful, overactive imagination, Jason creates smart, intricate illustrations that tickle the deviant intellect through a mix of hard graphics, pop iconography and wit. During the day, Jason works in Manhattan as a mild mannered interface designer. At night, after the kids go to sleep, he can be found hunched over his computer developing works of candy colored madness. Jason aspires to one day drop the daytime gig… That or work with Pixar :B

INTERVIEW:

I own form of Pop art. I started tinkering with toys around 2003 when I worked for a small Toy studio. The two came together around 2006 when I was using Balloon animals in some of my illustrations and wondered what the anatomical makeup would look like if it were an actual living being… From there I kept finding objects with animal/human form that needed exploration… The first time I sculpted inside a toy was just this past fall with the 2.5″ Dunny. They’ve been such a huge hit I just going to keep on with them. That is until I want to try something else 😀

The Incredibles

Woken by my 2yo at 6:30, down to the kitchen for food and cartoons. get her and my 8yo ready and off to school. clean up. get to working by around 9-9:30am. lunch if I am hungry, work until kids get home from school. help with homework then make dinner. give kids baths then put the 2yo to sleep, spend time hanging out with my 8yo until their bed time at 8:30. try to get some relaxation before sleep… repeat. The life of a parent….

I have some Skelanimals Qees Toy2r available on their website (toy2rusa.com). My Gummi Anatomy is in production with FameMaster Toys and will be available worldwide in the Spring. I will be offering them on my website. Signed versions will be an option.

That would be difficult to answer.  My life has taken so many turns in its 40 years. Early on I had my fathers influence who was a painting and sculpture professor. My parents were separated since my birth so it was a weekend thing with him but he passed away before I was 14. I was pretty much on my own from that point artistically. Perhaps it was my introduction to the works of Robert Williams in the early 90’s that really got my juices pumping….

I think its kind of stagnant. It took a big leap 10 or so years ago once designer toys were introduced, but there hasn’t been any substantial jumps since then. The scene is in some dire need of new inspiration. Things are simmering and we are waiting for someone to get nutty…

You just described pretty much the formula for the movement we see today from your previous question. you can find it in most of the work coming out. Frank Kozik I believe really nailed it back when he was doing his early poster work in the late 80’s/early 90’s. Most of the people we see in the movement are in their mid 30’s to mid 40’s. this was the first TV generation. We were exposed to Saturday morning cartoons and then 24 hour cartoon cable networks. We all also seem to be very nostalgic about our youth. Perhaps its a generation coming to terms with aging and not letting go of our childhood memories…

The Gummi Bear toy with Famemaster has been in the works for over 4 years now and should see shelf placement in a few months. I’m working on a book of my work with a small publisher that should also be out this Spring or Summer. I have some secret toys in the works I cannot mention quite yet… I will be in a few group shows in the next few months. I’m always brainstorming for new ideas so who really knows?

See above question/answer 😉

Im not much of a candy person. I strangely lost my sweet tooth about 6 years ago. Ever since then its all about salt and cayenne pepper. Ive never met a curry I didnt like and will choose a good chili over gummi bears any day, but if I had to choose i would go with Sour Patch Kids…

To be honest I cant remember any one toy that stuck out as a favorite. We didnt have a lot of money so toys were limited to whatever mom brought home. I would have loved to have had Legos…

I love Escher’s simplistic characters and forms as well as his use of tessellation and clean line work. But what I think he was best at was his ability to establish tonal harmony in his work. His work looks so yummy due to his equal use of black, white and gray. They almost vibrate.

Im still trying to figure that one out myself. I’m really just making it up as I go. Ive had some success with the anatomical toys, but whats next?…

I have collected many things in my life, my first obsession was Coca-Cola memorabilia. I loved the graphic nature of the logo. I had a nice Mad Magazine collection as a teenager but stupidly sold the 100+ issues one day in the mid 80’s when I wanted the new CD player that was all the rage… I now have a small vinyl collection of toy designs I really like. I’m not a completest so I just get the ones that inspire me. I would like to start collecting medical anatomical models but need to find some room first… Ebay has a treasure trove of them :B

While my first fictional anatomy was the “Incubus” back in 2000, I like the Balloon Dog illustration because it was the first to garner so much attention. The Hello Kitty Half anatomy illustration is a fave as well. Super Mario sculpt I like because of the child-like skeleton it produced. All my real favorites are my old drawings i did in the 90’s. I would spend weeks and sometimes months working on them. They are like children and I would have a very hard time letting them go.

I like food. Right now I have a noodle house in Manhattan that makes a traditional beef ramen that is absolutely orgasmic. Ill take a day off just to go there by myself and eat spicy noodles and broth. I also find watching both football and auto racing very meditative. Late night cartoons also clear my mind.

I had a fascination with old pin-up art early on. Petty, Elvgren, Vargas, Betty Page… All early inspirations. I had done a solo show at the Sacred Body Tattoo shop on Canal street in Manhattan of my interpretations of modern pin-ups. Got some press and landed the gigs at Penthouse and Hustler. Hustler was a one time deal but I had a reoccurring gig doing literary illustrations for Penthouse. I loved the subject matter. Driven by testosterone and an unbridled desire to paint… you get smut 😉 I grew out of it as time went on and was turned on to the urban vinyl scene in the early 00’s after landing a toy design position. The Heavy Metal feature was a nice one time gallery spread. One funny thing not many know about is I also made an appearance in the now defunct “Juxtapoze Erotica”. Juxtapoze has yet to publish any of my more popular/recent work…

I have a tattoo of my Mickey splat on my left shoulder. I remember getting it like it was yesterday. Tattooing was illegal in NYC back in 1990 so I remember going with my college friend Liz to a basement in the Bronx to get our Tattoos. It was more of something I wanted to experience, a right of passage I guess. Not so much any kind of statement.

Control.