i met john lannom a few summers ago while dropping off a few of my pieces at the ashland bar up in chicago. what started as a simple commission on the side of the building turned into a huge collaboration with various street artists lead by lannom. while keeping in touch over the years i had a chance to set up an interview and ask a few questions.
john, where are you from and how did you get into art?
the place where i was born and raised until the age of 12 was in a small town in iowa called grinnell. my first artistic experience was when i was with my grandfather at my mom’s restaurant. We were sitting side-by-side and he was encouraging me to draw like he was. my grandfather was an intense and amazing artist. i believe it was one of his sole passions. i drew a shark, and if i’m not mistaken that was the first thing I ever drew.
who or what are some of your influences?
some people and things that influence me are: music, the technological revolution, “social norms”, political affairs, government(s), natural disaster, war, alphonse mucha, diego rivera, frank lloyd wright, the industrial revolution, pop culture (as it continues to be manipulated today).
what have you been working on recently?
today i worked on a painting i am doing that includes an atomic bomb blast going off over a “fast paced” city and currently i have transferred my graffiti bombing ability to plywood or canvas. i have a stack of empty canvases in my studio awaiting to gather my ideas and release. the drive is still in me, luckily, because there are so many things happening. it would be impossible to not have inspiration in this chaotic world.
it would seem your work is influenced by street art, or “graffiti”; your words on this?
i feel i can confidently say that I have bridged the gap with graffiti and art with my work. that does not mean that you will see what you expect to be graffiti in my work, but what I know is graffiti is still in my work. there has been a trace of urban art in my work since i moved to chicago. being in iowa, it is essential to be able to utilize my spray paint, acrylic paint, and oil markers.
if you grew up painting in another city do you think that would have chanced your graffiti roots, such as growing up in iowa without that city lifestyle?
i think it would have influenced me earlier to practice graffiti if i had grown up in a city rather than grinnell, ia. this is mainly the exposure and knowledge of other graffiti artists that i would have been inspired by earlier. rather i saw and learned for the first time when I was 18 years old living in chicago for the first time.
how do you feel about graffiti today, such as the debate between vandalism or art?
without my aerosol i feel empty, but i don’t vandalize (much) anymore. to do graffiti for the sake of it is something beautiful, but to damage an expensive piece of property is another thing. instead of painting on expensive building walls, paint on trains. you’ll get more attention from getting up on trains anyway.
so not to say that you are looking for attention, but do you think train bombing is all about attention, or something more?
writing on trains is different for each writer. it can be used for practice or it can be used to kind of advertise a name.
do you feel as if graffiti is reaching the commercial market today, and how do you think that effects the culture?
it has definitely met the commercial/social market you can see it in everyday commercials and advertisements such as pepsi or mountain dew. yes it creates a social norm that is accepted. it also can help influence people that have less access to urban culture.
having a fine arts background, do you think that is important as an artist? meaning should fine arts be the fundamentals of every artist out there?
no, i don’t think that any artist needs to come from a fine arts facility/background because i have seen artists flourish that began on their own accord, with no collegiate artistic background.
do you think it helps though, for instance if one of the artists out there that flourished on their own accord, would it benefit them to go back?
it is a very helpful resource for artists to take advantage of. a fine arts background can be very helpful.
how do you approach your pieces conceptually?
first, i think of what makes me happy/sad/angry/aroused, basically i think of what provokes emotion and run with it. sometimes, i graph out what i am going to do if i know what the outcome will be, but many times I start with a blank canvas/surface and end with a piece of art.
so is there always some sort of depth or story behind each painting, or sometimes just draw the first thing that comes into your mind type deal?
i am a strong believer that some art does not have any concept. i actually did a report on non-concept while attending the school of the art institute of chicago, but it was hard to research and not the most understandable idea either. some works are only created because of an idea and those are usually the one’s that are remembered throughout time.
being a strong believer that some art does not have any concept, do you think art can be just as strong and effective without a concept then, or is it a completely different feel? for example, i’ve been interested in poloroids and lomography lately, something about capturing a spontaneous moment with that vintage effect truly is powerful at times in my opinion.
i think art without concept can be just as important as art that has concept. i think visually a piece can be as strong if not stronger without concept versus a something “ugly” that has concept and vice versa.
how has your work evolved since saic or even before?
my work has evolved in many ways since saic. overall the school was a good experience and i would recommend it to anyone planning on going to art school. being in Chicago itself was influence, it gave me knowledge i needed to grow as an artist. first I was a “fine artist”, now i consider myself a “pop artist”.
i remember you used to do live art, has that affected your workflow in any way?
i usually work pretty quickly but the added factor of people watching definitely affected my process and thought process. (i guess im trying to get at graffiti style on the run real fast where things are sort of freestyled and you let your creativity flow, or sketch, take time to prep, and work on a piece traditionally. maybe the way you plan out a painting or the speed in which you finish a piece)
-most definitely.
when you view other art, what makes it “good” to you?
there are three pillars in art to look for when looking for “good” work to me: line, color, and composition.
so do you believe art is far beyond just skill such as the idea, depth, lifestyle etc?
i believe you need to be in a personally comfortable environment when you are doing art. it takes skill, knowledge, and wisdom to create good artwork.
what are your thoughts on “jack of all trades” artists. going around touching on some fine art, design, photography and trying out different things compared to artists that focus on mastering that “one style” and technique they are known for?
it is important to expand on your knowledge of the different mediums. this is important so that it is possible to try and harness a true forte.
so when we going to collab?
if you can come to iowa we will collaborate. thats a promise bro.
check out more of lannom’s work at his website lannomart.com
