An Interview With Anita Kunz
Interview by: Emi Tamaru
ABC: Tell us a little bit about what you do.
AK: I’ve been a magazine illustrator for over 30 years and also I’ve been doing a lot of personal work (I’d define it as fine art) for the past 10 years. I’ve also lectured and taught a lot.
ABC: What was the worst critique/review/feedback you were ever given and how did it make you feel?
AK: There have been so many I don’t know where to begin. I think the worst is the most recent one, and that’s the one that stings the most. But certainly early in my career I was told I’d never make it, I was told I wasn’t in the same “league” as my peers, and I was told by a well known agent that he could never take me on because it was obvious that I couldn’t draw a car! I’m sure those early rejections hurt a lot…I don’t really remember, but somehow I just kept going.
The recent negative review was from a gallery in Chelsea NY. The owner was particularly brutal with me. He was unnecessarily vicious. I actually felt as though I was going into a bit of a depression after that, but then I ran into Marshall Arisman who told me lots of really bad gallery stories and then I felt a bit better.
Actually, now that I think of it, I guess I’ve had quite a lot of bad feedback about my work too. I’ve had lots of letters written to Editors complaining about my work.
photo credit
ABC: How did that experience change or not change the way you feel/felt about your art?
AK: First of all, I think there’s a right way and a wrong way to give a crit. Making a student feel bad about their work and therefore themselves is counter productive, and creates a mental block. Giving encouraging criticism is much more helpful.
When I get helpful criticism about my work I don’t feel bad about my work, but rather I try and incorporate that advice into what I’m doing. But if I feel that the advice has been given to me in a condescending way, I don’t appreciate it.
Also I had to, at some point, realize that if I was going to be in the public eye visually tackling some controversial subject matter, that not everyone was going to like my work. So I try and keep that in mind. You can’t please everybody.
ABC: What did you do about it?
AK: Well I kept on going. I also realized in hindsight that a lot of the criticism was in fact accurate. I wasn’t all that great an artist in the beginning, and I had a long way to go! It’s all a journey.
photo credit
ABC: It’s hard to believe that someone with such amazing style and achievements as you would have been a victim of “a bad crit”. If you don’t mind us asking, is this something you deal with, even today?
AK: Thank you! That’s sweet. And yes I still deal with it. I always try and keep challenging myself. Now that I’m in a different field (more fine art rather than illustration) the rules are a bit different, and I feel as though I’m learning all over again. But I think it’s good for all artists to think of themselves as students their whole lives.
ABC: I think a lot of us have to face some sort of criticism towards our work, especially when we’re in our developing stage as an artist. Unfortunately some people can’t handle it and give up on their work, despite having great potential to becoming successful. Do you have any tips and advice for us emerging artists in regards to dealing with criticism?
AK: Yes I’ve seen that too. Some of the best artists in school don’t have the tenacity to continue and weather the storms. Others, who I don’t think will succeed, do! I think that’s a testament to how in our field a lot of someone’s success may not have as much to do with raw talent but rather with their desire to succeed, their networking abilities, and their self-confidence. And if you don’t have self-confidence, fake it! There have been lots of artists in the past with crippling self-esteem issues (myself included)!
photo credit
ABC: What’s interesting about your work is that despite maintaining a very solid style, none of your works look identical. Establishing your own style is challenging enough, and making pieces look separate from one another is even harder. How do you manage to do this?
AK: Well thanks, but that can work against me as well. I try and make work that has to do with ideas, and my ideas don’t always follow predictable patterns. So when I recently tried to put together a fine art portfolio I had to do it in categories. I’m actually working in a number of different areas. I’m working on a series about gender, and another one about anthropology and another about science versus religion, etc. I sometimes feel as though I’m all over the place!
photo credit
ABC: Your portraits are interesting too (my personal favorites are the ones you did of Borat and John Lydon, as well as your interpretation of the Sex Pistols, they’re simply hilarious!) They manage to not only capture someone’s features but their personas, and blowing them up like a caricature. What do you keep in mind when you are working on portraits?
AK: Well I have to give a lot of credit to the amazing art directors I’ve worked with in the past… those who gave me enough freedom to be able to do crazy funny things without censoring me too much. And with subjects like Borat and Johnny Rotten it’s just so much fun!
The process of painting portraits has to do with incorporating photographic reference without infringing on the photographers copyright. Plus I have to identify certain traits and use those traits in the concept of the piece. It’s challenging but rewarding.
photo credit
ABC: I think another thing that emerging artists have problems with is crossing the line between illustration and fine art (I personally have a couple friends who are unsure what to label themselves as) What do you personally think makes an illustrator distinct from a fine artist?
AK: Yes, that’s always a big topic of conversation. Many of us (myself included) are designing hybrid careers. There has always been a big argument about the validity of illustration versus fine art. But it’s something that doesn’t concern me very much. We are all artists. Illustration is simply directing your art to something more specific. I don’t think we really need labels at all. It’s all good.
photo credit
ABC: Please give us a message for all the underdogs out there.
AK: Keep going. Recognize your value as a unique human being, whatever your background. If you have a challenging history that’s even more reason to make art. And do take criticism to heart. Try to learn from it. Count to 10, or 20 or wait a day after a crit, especially if it’s been a brutal crit. And then continue to make art. And don’t let someone take something special away from you!
For more of Anita’s work visit:
