Q&A with Zach Wiebe

*Can you tell me a bit about your art-making process?
-I am a bit on an insomniac and feel the most creative late at night. So when I get an idea in my head I will write it down or get some paper and do a few rough sketches and then stay up all night doing my paintings or drawings until the early hours in the morning or even well into the next day, which is why I label my art The Nocturnal Nature of Zach Wiebe.

*Do incorporate creativity-boosting activities into your daily
routine? If so what activities do you do?
-Through out my day when ever I have down time I love spending time online googling my favorite artists looking to see if they have come out with anything new, and just looking online for new pieces of art and threw my favorite art books to see if anything triggers or inspires a new idea, I always keep my sketchbook within arms reach no matter where I'm at and even have one in the back seat of my car.

*How would you describe your style of art?
-I'm not really sure how to describe my art because I do a range of work from abstract to landscapes to the abnormal, I leave it up to the viewers to decide what category they would put my work in. I believe that a good artist should be able to have many different styles of art.

*What inspires you?
-Normal every day tasks and things that I see and hear throughout the day inspire my work and kick my imagination into gear. I am most inspired however by the work of Alex Pardee and the rest of his friends at his company called Zerofriends. My all time favorite artist though is Van Gogh, his painting Starry Night is what really inspires me as an artist and as a kid I was always fascinated by that painting.

*What do you wish to communicate through your art?
-I leave my art to open interpretations and open communication through what people feel by looking at my work, especially my more abnormal pieces. I think that each work depicts the mood that I was in the day or week or month that I was creating it.

*How do you come up with ideas for new paintings?
-I come up with ideas from paintings some times at random in the middle of the day when I hear or see something that inspires me or I am feeling some way that I feel the need to express through my art, I believe that emotion is a huge part in the beginning processes of creating something. And when I am bled dry of ideas but really just want to draw or paint I will look at the works of my favorite artists and wait for something to hit me.

*If you had advice for other aspiring artists what would it be?
-My advice for any aspiring artists is to just keep drawing and painting, doodle on everything that you can get your hands on because you never know when a simple doodle will turn into something greater. The more you continue to work and challenge yourself the better your art will be.