Interview Questions:
Who was your most important teacher?
The most important teacher I’ve had was my high school art teacher, he was just an amazing artist who pushed his students whether they liked or disliked art to make art. Always made everyone feel included and cared for. My school was a STEM school, but he really pushed for the school to take notice of their talented artists. Overall, I would say that it is because of him that I felt like my art was good enough. He passed away recently, and it’s saddening that the art community lost such a talented artist and teacher.
What is your favorite artwork?
I don’t really have one (YET), but when I first heard this question and thought about it for a few minutes all I could really think about was “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt. I’ve just being seeing it being used for fanart for some book series and I think because of the usage of that bright yellow and the blockyness of the pose, I’ve just remembered it a lot more than other works
What artist influenced you most?
I would say Kel Lauren is my biggest influence and inspiration. I discovered their YouTube around my sophomore or junior year of high school, and they would make redesigns of logos and that was just mind-blowing to me. It’s what cemented my idea of becoming a graphic designer.
What exhibition has had the most influence on you?
I’ve only been to one exhibition and that was Ed Ruscha’s “Now Then’ at the Moma around the end of 2023. And the overall pieces that were shown were super interesting (as someone who did not know the artist beforehand). He had this room that was a chocolate room, and it had panels of chocolate but when I saw it, I wasn’t aware of that, nor did it smell like chocolate, so it was just a cool brown room. But the piece that stuck with me the most was “Our Flag” which depicted a torn up American flag flying in the wind and it was about the 2020 elections. I’ve also gone to the Ben Jones exhibition we had at NJCU and heard him talk about almost all the pieces that he was showing and even got a pamphlet signed to take. But his works were absolutely breathtaking, along with the messaging and meaning behind each piece
What is your favorite museum?
Hands down my favorite has to be the MET in New York, I’ve only gone once, and I got lost. But that place is insane, and it feels like you are being transported somewhere else. Like there's this section where the rooms are fully decorated to look like the 18th and 19th century and are truly breathtaking.
What book has influenced you the most?
One of the books that have stuck with me the longest would be “All The Bright Place” by Jennifer Niven. Read it in middle school and it absolutely broke me. As of recent thought “From Here to the Great Unknown” by Lisa Marie Presley, and Riley Keough, it was just an emotional read that really made me cherish the people I have in my life now, especially my mom since the book focused a lot on the mother-daughter aspect.
What other creative fields/disciplines influence you?
I would 100% say photography. I think because photography and graphic design go kind of hand in hand, you pick up a lot of inspiration from pictures. But I would say in general photography is something that inspires me to take more picture pictures. Music is also a big influence, of course.
Have you ever made a choice that was influenced by someone’s critique or feedback?
There was this one professor that would critique work but to the point where it seemed like whatever they commented on was wrong and needed to be changed, so on this one assignment I had designed it how I thought looked best until the professor said I should change some things which I did since I did not want to get a bad grade, only for the professor to point out he did not like the changes and made suggestions to fix it which would only make the design look like how I originally. So, from then on, I really don’t change entire designs like that, I will take feedback and critique but at in the end designs should be one’s own vision
What's the nicest thing anyone has ever said about your art?
My boyfriend looked at one of my most recent works and told me I was “goated with the sauce”
What advice would you give to an aspiring artist?
If you know you want to do art, try out new mediums, especially if you have the opportunity to go to university for art, take advantage of those classes and learn new techniques and mediums. You might want to incorporate those in the works you make or even fall in love with another medium.
Le’Andra LeSeur by Ksenia M. Soboleva / BOMB Magazine
What inspired LeSeur? Compare what motivates you to create meaning.
LeSeur is very inspired by the body, as well as how the language is embedded in the body. She speaks on her influences also being her identity as a black and queer woman. That intersectionality, the experiences and trauma that comes along with it have shaped some of her works.
Personally, none of my works are really inspired by anything personal. I really do want to make personal works especially because now more than ever I feel heavily inspired by our current political climate to make work about my experiences and views. But for now, my work consists of things I like or am passionate about, silly things like movies and musicians.
How does your choice of material, process, aesthetic, content, etc. reinforce your message?
For me as a graphic designer my process is pretty straight forward, I don’t really sketch ideas it just doesn’t work for me, so what I typically do is put something down on that blank canvas and from there usually I get ideas and play around with the composition, colors and fonts. My aesthetic has stayed pretty consistent throughout my college career, of course with more knowledge about text and compositions, but it’s still pretty funky, colorful, and sometimes vintage inspired. I definitely think that my aesthetic and process can transfer to those more personal work ideas I have.
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