Woodland Vibes & Candyland Magic

I’d love to learn a little bit about your background and how you came to your current work as an artist.

I had a very windy path through art school. I switched majors several times because I was interested in everything and couldn't settle. I started out in graphic design, and then I took an animation elective that I completely fell in love with. So, I spent a semester in animation and realized that a part of what I was looking for was more of a storyline, or a narrative. But I was really interested in creating pictures, and realized that illustration might be a better course. So I ended up switching to illustration, but stayed interested in graphic design and animation as well. Now, I work as a book cover designer with Catapult Books and Counterpoint Press—that's my day job. But I also still do a lot of illustration, and I'm still in love with painting and animating. These projects with the Ballet really utilized all of my favorite things, because they included typography, hand lettering, animation, and illustrating, with luscious, extravagant costumes and set designs, too.

How would you describe your work?

I've been told my work is a little bit dark and sometimes comical, which I don't know that I intentionally do. I like a good story. When I'm illustrating people, I'm thinking about what they're like, what they're thinking about, what's their backstory. People are my favorite subjects to depict. I would describe my work as whimsical and a little funny, a little weird, and maybe sometimes a little dark—but also lighthearted.

Did you have any background or interest in dance prior to the NYCB projects?

I danced ballet as a kid and was really into it. That has always been a background inspiration to my work, in a way, because I'm really drawn to theatrics and sets and curtains and costumes. That background also informs my work because I’m especially interested in the figure and delicate hand structure. I think it also really helped with my work for the Ballet, because I'm able to understand the positioning and muscles and how they should be working.

One of my first self-driven projects after I graduated from art school was a set of little animated dancer characters. I think that may have led to my being hired for Coppélia, because they were like paper dolls of these awkward, funny characters. That also inspired the way I approached the animation for Coppélia.

That was my first ever animation job; prior to that, I'd only done illustration work for clients. So it was really exciting, in that regard, because I was able to create a moving work that was actually going to be out in the world. Coppélia is such a cool story—and it's pretty creepy, and that really appealed to me, too.

The Nutcracker is such a storied ballet for the Company, celebrating its 70th anniversary with NYCB this year. How did you approach this project?

For this project, the research came really easily, because there's so much visual material to work with—there was no lack of inspiration there. For me, the ideation process really starts with drawing. I might have a couple of vague ideas of what to do, but it doesn't really start to become concrete until I put a pencil to paper and start drawing. With The Nutcracker, I started by watching a recorded performance, pausing at certain moments, and making little thumbnail sketches of the dancers. I developed three main directions that the design could go in through that drawing process.

Were there specific elements of the ballet that piqued your interest?

I really fixated on the Candy Canes and the Polichinelles, because their costumes are just so fun. And the music in those sections feels like the epitome of what The Nutcracker is about—so colorful and sweet and candy and Christmas. I drew all the other characters as well, and I love the whole thing.

What sorts of feelings and ideas do the finished works convey about The Nutcracker?

The direction that we landed on was a woodland—a sort of mystical theme, which was my favorite. I think it really conveys the magic of The Nutcracker and this misty woodland vibe, particularly when they're transitioning from the first into the second act. It captures both the Christmassy essence of the first act, with the pine bows and the Christmas tree, as well as the over-the-top, sweet Candyland magic of the second act.