Tell us a bit about yourself
I'm a woodcut, tattoo, and comic artist. Originally from the US, I've lived in Taiwan since 2008, where I run a nonprofit art center and gallery with a couple of other artists. I also live stream my woodcut process twice a week on Twitch.
Tell us about one of your favorite projects and what inspired you to do it
I made a huge woodcut installation (8' x 35'10" or 244 x 1092cm), the prints cover the walls of a square room and totally surround the viewer. It was created during a one year residency in a warehouse, I thought the scale of the print should reflect the giant space I was in. Conceptually it was inspired by the increasing feeling of apocalypse prevalent in the culture (2010), so it depicts a variety of end times scenarios all happening at once.
What are you working on at the moment?
I'm finishing up my second woodcut graphic novel, Solitude, which will be out in December 2021. I'm also in pre-production for a series of woodcuts about instances of emergent phenomena in nature. I'm working on an ink/watercolor graphic novel with my wife, who is a neuroscientist. The story combines both of our areas of knowledge. Finally I'm teaching myself animation for a music video I'm making with a friend.
Who are your biggest influencers in the industry?
Giacomo Patri and Lynd Ward were doing woodcut graphic novels 100 years ago, and are a big influence. Haig Demarjian and Joanne Price have always been IRL inspirations, and the Instagram feed of qiqi_llin keeps me excited about daily practice. Fellow Twitch streamers LeafbearStudio and CodySchibi have inspired me to push my watercolor and ink skills, and behind everything my style was influenced at a young age by George Perez.
What was the last thing that inspired you?>
I'm reading a book called 'I Am a Strange Loop' by Douglas Hofstadter about the layered and emergent nature of consciousness and self.
Tell us why it's important for you to have an online art portfolio website
With so many various social media platforms, an art portfolio website is the one place I can send people for a comprehensive look at my work. Not only is it a portfolio, but it's a hub of links, an online shop, and an introduction to my process.
As an Artist what are your tips in building an art portfolio website?
For me the most important part of building a good website is constant tweaking. I always try to critique the state of it, what can be improved and streamlined. Keeping this in mind when I started building it made it much more manageable. Keep what you like and avoid what doesn't work. Getting and implementing feedback is also essential. I don't recommend a specific number of projects, but I try to include my best work that represents the full range of what I do.
How do you promote yourself?
The usual social media outlets, and in person in my studio. Twitch has been great for connecting with people. And exhibitions and competitions.
Why do you use Portfoliobox?
It was created for artists, has an intuitive interface, good price, and excellent customer service.
Visit Jon Renzella's website for more inspiration and don't forget to follow Jon on Instagram or Twitch.