Cool Hunting

With a folio that includes some of the world's most reputable publications, Philadelphia native artist Jon Krause has been causing waves in the art world for intelligent illustration and cutting-edge creations. CH caught up with the Tyler School of Art graduate to discuss inspiration, online galleries and transformers. (More images after the jump.)

How do you first get interested in art?
I always loved to draw as a kid. I was interested in monsters, transformers, animals, and they were usually my subjects. I began taking art lessons at a very young age, and that led me to the path I'm on now. Even as a five-year-old, I always thought I would make art for a living, even though I had no idea how it worked. I remember thinking you get hired by an art museum to draw pictures for their walls. It wasn't until I got to college that I learned what illustration was.

Do you do this full time?
Yes, I am a full time illustrator. I also teach one day a week at the university I graduated from.

Biggest inspiration?
Obviously as an artist other great art inspires me all of the time, but there isn't one entity that I can say is my greatest inspiration. I look into the specific project I'm working on for something that I can use to get my mind thinking. Each job I take on has its own unique story, and the challenge is to visually depict the text while staying true to your own sensibilities.

What do you think of the global art scene, in that so many galleries now have online sales and someone in Australia can purchase art from some young guy in Japan?
I'm really not involved in the gallery scene, but I can say that I have clients all across the globe. The internet has made it very easy to collaborate on projects with art directors from anywhere in the world.

What do you have coming up?
I usually have several projects going on most of the time. I recently just finished illustrations for TIME magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, and The New York Times. I'm lucky enough to collaborate with many different outlets, and to work with a lot of great people.

Finally, how would you describe your art?
I guess my work would be described as conceptual. In reality they are painted responses to text I'm presented [with], and hopefully they convey an idea or mood outside of the text, instead of just echoing it.