Matthew Houston, an illustrator and comic creator working in Arizona uses improvisation to create intriguing comic inspired art work drawing inspiration from various artists and remaining ambitious is part of Houston’s creative process.
Hey! Please introduce yourself and what you do!
My name is Matthew Houston and I am an illustrator and sometimes I paint and make comics.
What is it about your practice that you find so exciting and keeps you hooked?
I like to make things I’ve never seen before. I usually improvise a lot in my work and I’m not sure what it’s going to look like in the end. It’s fun to surprise yourself.
If you could experiment with any other medium, what would you choose?
I’ve been wanting to try making ceramics. I really like a nice bowl or pot.
Where do you get your daily inspiration?
I don’t really seek daily inspiration so much as I have just gotten used to waking up and getting to work whether or not I’m inspired. I read in some book that you don’t wait for the muse to inspire you, instead you work and prove your worthiness to be inspired. While I don’t believe in a literal “muse” per se, I think the concept is sound.
Are there any artists/photographers/writers/filmmakers or musicians where you have in mind when looking at creating new works?
I do find inspiration from other artists living and dead. Lately I’ve been inspired by the work of Elliot Freeman, Ivan Bilibin, Michael Swaney, Niv Bavarsky, Michael Olivo, Jesse Balmer, and Max Litvinov.
What are you currently working on that you just can’t get enough of?
I’ve been having a lot of fun with daily improvised drawing with pencil and then manipulating it in Photoshop.
What’s next for you?
Now I’m probably going to go eat some chorizo.
website: http://doctorbutters.com/
tumblr: http://matthew-houston.tumblr.com/
