 |
Catell Ronca contributed a series of artworks to the Post-It Show at L.A.’s Giant Robot. Curated by Mark Todd and Esther Pearl Watson, the show features over 2000 pieces by more than 260 artists. Each piece is on a 3×3 inch Post-It Note and sells for $25. The show ends this weekend, closing on Sunday, December 16th, 2012. See photos from the show’s opening here.
Giant Robot 2062 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
Inspired by international vernacular, Catell Ronca’s use of striking hot colors, bold shapes and patterns reflects a window into the very global city of London, where she lives, and the many cities she has travelled to. Her art is alive with lush, vivid botanicals, environments rich with culture, and thought provoking characters that are gentle and playful, a little bit peculiar, and never lack a subtle sense of humor.
MUSIC
Above: Album cover art for Italian singer/songwriter Joe Barbieri (Microcosmo Dischi)
Her travels around the globe are a vital source of inspiration, she loves observing people on the streets and markets of London’s multi-ethnic neighborhoods (and listening to the various accents). She says “My aim is to reflect what I see around me using spots of color. I’m especially keen to capture the beauty of human beings in their everyday glory. But also, I want to be a visual journalist and document what I see in detail.” Other inspirations include antique shops, car boot sales, markets (even supermarkets), fusions of any kind, contradictions, and interiors. Deeply inspired by nature, her botanical illustrations “have the freshness and bite of their subject matter” says Philip Dennis from art and design blog Ape On the Moon.
EDITORIAL
Top from Left: Farzad & Saeed for Cricket Magazine; Potluck for Utne Reader; Farzad & Saeed for Cricket Magazine
Bottom: A Beautiful Day In Hell
Described as elegant, impressive and delicious, her artwork was featured in Nicole Vernon’s recent posting for the hip London art and design blog The Young Bloods, which went on to say “Her illustrations span a wide variety of influences – everything from psychology and nature to cooking and cats – and she has a distinctive sense of intelligent narrative and wit. Combine this with a delicious color palette and you’re getting close to understanding the charm and elegance of Catell’s images.” Upon viewing Catell’s work, Brown Paper Bag blogger, Sara E. Barnes, says “it is obvious that she has quite a bit to say. She does so in bold, loud colors and expressive gestures.” Chandra at A Stylish Little Lady says “The colorful illustrations of Catell Ronca are not only beautiful and filled with pattern, but allow you to globe trot around the world and experience a different culture and destination.”
PUBLISHING
From left: Studio Illegale (Marsilio Editori ); Musungo Jim & the Great Chief Tuloko (Penguin);
Den Trebenta Pallen (Studieforbundet Vuxenskolan)
Born on Christmas Day to French and Swiss parents in Basel, Switzerland, Catell now lives and works in London where she studied illustration and graduated from the Royal College of Art. In short order she received an impressive commission to illustrate a series of six postage stamps with the of theme of Britain’s multicultural society and cuisine for the British Royal Mail. With the Queen’s approval of her artwork, the stamps were launched.
Catell has illustrated for a wide variety of publishing clients for both novels and children’s picture books. Her work has also appeared in a number of art books, the most recent being Chronicle Books’ The Where, the Why, and the How. The book is a fascinating combination of scientific text and gorgeous artwork, pairing 75 artists with 75 scientific thinkers thinkers as they try to solve some of science’s biggest mysteries – from what came before the Big Bang to why do pigeons bob their heads when they walk. Others including The Exquisite Book (Chronicle), Drawn In (Quarry) and The Best of Cover Design (Rockport). “I find important that my style can be adapted to a variety of audiences, for children’s books as well as for adult literature or design,” she says. “A style is a bit like handwriting, you can’t force it to look a certain way and it will naturally evolve continuously.”
PUBLISHED ART
From left: The Where, the Why, and the How (Chronicle); Drawn In (Quarry); The Exquisite Book (Chronicle)
In addition to recent book covers for Skyhorse Publishing and Swedish publisher Studieforbundet Vuxenskolan, Catell has also illustrated for editorial clients that include the Guardian, Cricket magazine and Utne Reader. Her work appeared as cover art for Italian singer/songwriter Joe Barbieri’s album, Respiro (Microcosmo Dischi), as well as in the 2012 calendar for Italian charitable organization Arcobaleno. The organization (which translates to Rainbow in English) benefits families and individuals who are struggling to find employment. Catell and Magnet Reps artists Raquel Aparicio, Emiliano Ponzi, and Eleanor Grosch were asked to create images that portrayed the struggle of an actual person that has been helped by Arcobaleno. Catell’s piece, entitled Bin Man, shows a man in profile with dirt and other discarded items swirling around inside him as he gazes at other supposedly ‘normal’ people as they go about their daily business.
INSTITUTIONAL
Above: Bin Man for Italian charity Arcobaleno
Her recent work for the The New York Botanical Garden included an animated tv spot as well as a number of other advertising and promotion materials. She has worked with a wide variety of clients in book publishing, magazines and newspapers, advertising and art licensing from the US, Britain, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland and Japan. Her impressive list of international clients includes The New York Botanical Garden, Penguin Books, Princeton University Press, SpotCo, The Guardian, and Royal Mail.
Catell enjoys being able to guide the talent of future illustrators both young and old. She has taught illustration at a university in north London, as well a stenciling and rubber-stamping workshop for schoolchildren. Working with the 6-12 year olds was “great fun!” and she reveled in being able to experiment with another medium. Experimentation is vital to Catell’s art, working with ceramics as a means of personal artistic exploration. She advises other creatives to not “underestimate the human need for creative play and growth. Change and experiment, allow your creativity to have free reign.”
PERSONAL
Above: Ceramic work, part of artistic personal exploration
Catell has a strong internet following being interviewed or showcased on numerous blogs, including A Stylish Little Lady, Ape on the Moon, Brown Paper Bag, Foggy Grizzly, Illustrato.rs, Lost at E-Minor and The Young Blood Project. She was recently featured on Jazz and Draw, a website that showcases musically influenced illustrations. Her striking portrait of the late Amy Winehouse was inspired by Just Friends, while another piece is inspired by Ethiopian percussionist Mulatu Astake, who’s music Catell calls “a great inspiration.”
PORTRAIT
From left: Mulatu Astake for Jazz & Draw; Virginia Woolf for Faber & Faber; Amy Winehouse for Jazz & Draw
PERSONAL WORK – Catell’s work has appeared in galleries all over the world, from London to Los Angeles to Israel. She has set herself to the task of creating a series of posters that visually document many of the fascinating objects exhibited in small museums around England, including the Henry Wellcome Collection in London and The Freud Museum in Hampstead. Both posters are available as prints from her online store.
Click here for downloadable items – desktop wallpapers and a high-res printable letter sized promo.
PERSONAL
From left: Henry Wellcome Collection; Psychoscape; The Freud Museum
CATELL LOVES – Travel, she has been to: Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France, Scotland, Mongolia, Russia, Germany, Mexico, USA, Oman, Belgium, The Netherlands, Ireland, Hungary, Poland and Portugal. Color, coffee on a hot summer day, the dawn of each new season, the smell of cat fur, Purple Basil, Passion Flower, the Century Plant, artist Grayson Perry, collecting folklore ceramic bowls, blini with smoked salmon, The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai and Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, cooking, and two sweet cats.
AWARDS – American Illustration 31, Association of Illustrators Images 30, Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles 49, Society of Illustrators of New York 52
GALLERY
From left: Ordinary for a group exhibition at Shenkar College in Ramat Gan, Israel;
Billy, Mandy & Grim for the Cartoon Network’s 20th Anniversary Exhibition
Q&A with Catell
What’s the hardest part of being an illustrator?
Keeping a solid routine, being productive without having a deadline
Best way to end a long day of work?
Leave the studio and go home and ideally cook a nice meal.
If you weren’t an illustrator, what would you be?
In my wildest dreams, probably a life coach or a linguist… actually, come to think of it, a one-woman band.
Do you prefer traditional media over digital ways of working?
I love the luminosity and physicality of ‘real’ paint as opposed to digitized color. Color looks good on the screen, but printed-out color can be a disappointment. I really enjoy it when I see the physical effect of paint on paper, the relief and the way the paper curls up a little. The subtlety of color will always look better in real than digital.
I couldn’t live without my computer and Photoshop but looking into a screen for a long time makes me tired very quickly. I have made a conscious decision to do my hand-rendered work in a different place than the digital work.
What is your ideal studio like?
A warm, big space with no distractions, no noise, a window that is just facing a tree or a field, an orderly desk and everything neatly in its place – exactly the opposite of my current studio.
Look out your window. What’s the first thing you see?
I see the guy from Webworks smoking his 10th cigarette and it’s only 9:30am.
What do you do when you have a creative block? What are your favorite sources of inspiration?
The best thing for me is to switch off the brain and just be creative and playful, not thinking too much. Doodling and painting in my sketchbook, just for the fun of it is great. It feels a bit like going back to being a child again.
You can only take three things to a deserted island. What do you take?
My bed, my glasses (even though I hate them) and my cat, Big Ernie.
A genie grants you three wishes. What do you wish for?
An assignment that involves botanical or food illustration
A state of the art kitchen with all the latest gadgets
To finally meet my spirit guide
What is a typical work day like for you? How do you portion off your time?
It really depends on the day. Normally, I get up around 7, have coffee, sit around, stare into space… then read some news stories, go for a run or a walk, then to the studio and concentrate for 3 hours. Go to town, go food shopping, home and cook, then back to the studio and work another 3 hours, have dinner and watch a documentary and/or work some more.
How has your work changed since you’ve become an illustrator? How do you see your work progressing in the future?
It has changed quite a bit as I love experimentation. I believe that one needs to grow, evolve and progress. However, the more I try out new things, the more I realize that perhaps I need to separate my art practice from my illustration practice.
What is one tip you have for other creative professionals?
Don’t underestimate the human need for creative play and growth. Change and experiment, allow your creativity to have free reign. But also allow yourself to consciously distance yourself from being creative and do other things instead that don’t involve ‘visuality.’ That way, your creative process and your vision will stay fresh, you’ll be able to better discern what is substantial and important in illustration as opposed to what is just pretty and decorative.
Catell Ronca was one of 75 artists asked to contribute art to Chronicle Books’ just released title The Where, the Why, and the How. The book includes 75 essays by scientific experts that attempt to answer some of science’s big unanswered questions, from what came before the Big Bang to why do pigeons bob their heads when they walk. The essays were then passed on to the artists who were asked to create their own visual representation of the answer. Written by Jenny Volvovski, Julia Rothman and Matt Lamothe, partners in Chicago/New York-based design firm ALSO, the book is a fascinating combination of scientific text and gorgeous artwork. Visit Julia Rothman’s blog for a preview.
A book launch party is planned for Thursday, October 11th (7-9pm) at the Powerhouse Arena in Brooklyn, NY. Six of the contributing artists and scientists will be in attendance, each giving a 10-minute talk about their piece. Visit the event’s Facebook page for more information.
Catell Ronca illustrated the cover of Hurricane Wills, written by Sally Grindley and published by Skyhorse Publishing. The story, for grades 2 and up, tells the story of 11-year old Chris and his older brother, Wills, as they cope with Wills’ ADHD and their parents’ impending divorce. Available from Amazon.
Catell Ronca is part of Ordinary, a group exhibition at Shenkar College in Ramat Gan, Israel. Curated by artist Dan Allon, the exhibition examines the individual’s impulse to be unique, with the desire to be extraordinary actually being quite ordinary in the end. The show opens on September 5th and runs through October 31st, 2012. Other artists include Itamar Daube, Itzik Rennert, Yirmi Pinkus and Batia Kolton and Anke Feuchtenberger. Visit www.danallon.com for more information.
Opening Reception: Wednesday, September 5th, 2012 | 8pm
Shenkar College: 8 Yedda Haam St., Ramat Gan, Israel
This summer, we’re presenting a selection of our artists’ favorite books. From dark, to funny, to just plain strange, this summer reading list gives you a peek inside each artist’s life, likes, and literary predilections.
ANA BAGAYAN
Disfarmer. “Local eccentric studio photographer Mike Disfarmer captured portraits of the residents in his town of Heber Springs, Arkansas from 1915-1959. His eery photographs were discovered after his death and are a record of middle America during WWI until the 50′s.”
Pip and Norton by Dave Cooper. “This book about two scheming best friends is one of the funniest and most beautifully illustrated comics and one of my all time favorite books. Dave Cooper is a genius and an amazing painter.”
Geek Love by Katharine Dunn. “This is not an art book but Dunn’s writing will paint beautiful mental images as you read. The story is about a family of side-show performers that breed children using a variety of drugs during pregnancy to create ‘freaks’ to perform at their show.”
SHAWN BARBER
The Art Spirit by Robert Henri. “The quintessential teachings of Robert Henri – this little gem should be in every painter’s library. Pick it up, open to any page and be inspired by Henri’s gift to the artist student.”
I Love Tattoos by Takahiro ‘Horitaka’ Kitamura. “The title says it all. If you love tattoos and tattooists that love tattoos, you won’t be disappointed. ‘Taki’ presents a visual journal of what tattooing is all about. Friends, family, great tattoos, respect for the past and good times.”
ELEANOR GROSCH
The Road by Cormac McCarthy. “Disturbing, horrific, and somehow hauntingly beautiful.”
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. “Really fun with a nice dark quality.”
HENNIE HAWORTH
Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth. “Recently I’ve been enjoying reading a book called Call the Midwife. It’s the true story of a midwife working in London’s East End in the 1950′s. Having just had a baby in East London, it had a particular interest for me, but it’s a very popular book and was recently made into a TV show by the BBC (but the book’s much better). It’s really startling how much life and medicine has changed in such a short space of time.”
BELLA PILAR
20th Century Travel: 100 Years of Globe-Trotting Ads. “There is always a Taschen book on my list of favorites. And this is my latest fave. Travel through the history of travel ads. I am beyond inspired by the gorgeous colorful artwork filling these pages – the images, design, colors, its the total package. These colorful ads are filled with storytelling imagery that remind me how big the world is outside my little art studio. They will make you look at a train, plane, and automobile in a whole new light.”
100 Years of Fashion Illustration. “Always one of my faves. Beautiful artwork to gaze over. And a fact filled blurb of info on each page. What a treat to look at the history of fashion presented this way. Each fashion illustration tells its own little story. It’s fun to see the progression of style and trends (fashion and art) over 100 years all wrapped up in one little book.”
EMILIANO PONZI
Wait Until Spring, Bandini by John Fante. “This was strongly suggested by my mother years ago. I took it but I never read it until last year. It is the story of a poor Italian family who immigrated to an imaginary Colorado city. All the family members’ emotions are incredibly described, you can literally feel them on your skin. It’s a photograph of a wait where everything seems suspended but many things happen in the plot as the family waits for springtime so they can play baseball again. Touching!”
If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino. “This is a great example of postmodern literature. The main character is the reader who attempts to enjoy the book but, because of different reasons, has to stop all the time and begin other novels. So it’s made up of many stories that just begin but never end. It talks about literature’s multiple possibilities. I’m curious to know how each story would finish. Brilliant!”
Metaphysique des Tubes by Amelie Nothomb. “I did a portrait of her for a magazine so I looked at many pictures of Amelie on the web and I found that she wears a lot of strange hats. This book is a visionary description of a consciousness. The evolution of “the man” from just being a lost “tube” in the universe to human being who knows the word by giving a name to objects and people. Cathartic!”
RED NOSE STUDIO
“Last fall, I picked up 2 kids’ books that still resonate pretty strongly with me. If folks want to get in touch with their animal instincts they should give these a go.”
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen. “Beautifully brown and full of blank expressions, what’s not to love about this story of a bear going gumshoe and tracking down his misplaced hat.”
In the Woods by Tana French. “And just in case folks want something to read for a couple weeks, I recommend In The Woods by Tana French. Sitting inside the head of an Irish detective as his wits deteriorate around him will make you appreciate the humor in the above two books even more.”
CATELL RONCA
Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada. “A true story set in Berlin during the second World War. A husband and wife start a silent resistance by dropping anonymous anti-regime postcards. This book gives an extremely vivid depiction of how people lived under the Nazi regime. I could not put it down. The book was written in 1947, shortly after the second World War, which I felt could not be more a authentic account.”
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai. “A complex story about the loss of Indian identity in a global world, the reality of Indian immigrants in the US, and the impossibility of love between faiths. It is written in the most beautiful sad and yet funny language. The author describes the Himalayas so well… one can smell it and feel it – reading this book felt like being in India.”
GRAHAM ROUMIEU
The Bet by Arthur Bradford. “One of my favorites is just a short story from a McSweeny’s but is probably the funniest thing I’ve ever read.”
GORDON WIEBE
American Elf by James Kochalka. “Currently, literally, on my nightstand: American Elf by James Kochalka. I’m not usually a fan of comics/graphic novels but these little slices of life can become quite habit forming.”
Bear by Marian Engel. “*Spoiler Alert* Woman has, ummm, relations with a bear… but, it’s a Governor General Award winning book so that makes it okay.”
Interviews with American Artists by David Sylvester. “Re-reading some of these interviews from time to time for inspiration.”
The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs. “Juuuust starting… Looking at this list I just realized that 3 of the 4 books have ‘American; in their titles… quite troubling for a Canadian.”
NATE WILLIAMS
The Journey is the Destination: The Journals of Dan Eldon by Dan Eldon. “This book is very inspirational… beautiful, tragic and visual.”
Ad Boy: Vintage Advertising with Character by Warren Dotz. “Love retro advertising… everything had a character back then.”
El Papel by Ernst Rottger. “Inspiring work done with cut paper.”
Cartoon Network celebrates its 20th birthday with a gallery exhibition. Over seventy-five world-class artists, including our very own Ana Bagayan, Catell Ronca, and Gordon Wiebe, have been assembled to render cartoon heroes in their own personal style. Each artist represents distinct creative categories, including painting, sculpture, print making, typography, design and illustration. A collectible mini zine will be distributed free of charge at San Diego’s Jett Gallery and the Murphy Book Comic-Con Booth No. 4833, but hurry, because the zine will be limited to 4000 copies. Visit curator Mark Murphy’s site for more details.
Jett Gallery: 989 W. Kalmia St., San Diego, CA
Wednesday, July 11th – Saturday, July 14th, 2012
San Diego Comic-Con: 111 W. Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA BOOTH 4833
Wednesday, July 11th – Sunday, July 15th, 2012
Catell Ronca’s illustration of a tropical island tackles the topic of Natural Disasters and Tourism. ”I was trying to reflect on the absurdity of tourism in a natural disaster area after reading an article in the Guardian about people holidaying in Haiti,” Catell says. “What I started asking myself was: To what extent does physical distance from a catastrophe matter in order to enjoy a holiday? Or, in other words, is human suffering less horrendous if it is 2000 or 2 miles away.”
Catell Ronca taught a summer workshop for children on stenciling and rubberstamping. She demonstrated various low-tech ways of creating art for a classroom of 6 to 12 year old kids. “It was great fun!” Catell says.
Catell Ronca was invited to contribute to Jazz and Draw, a music and illustration blog, so she chose to do a portrait of the Ethiopian percussionist and founder of Ethio-Jazz Mulatu Astake. His “music is a great inspiration,” Catell says. See more musically influenced illustrations at JazzAndDraw.com.
