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2015/10

A Magazine for the arts and culture.

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EDITORS NOTEMEET THE TEAM

Jon

Jax

Mr. Wild

Luke

Mottled Gray

Shelly

Dunc

Editor in Chief

Creative Editor

Content Editor

Staff Writer

Staff Writer

Food Columnist(skellingtons Bakery)

Staff Writer

Its Christmas and we have managed to create an issue for you.

Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul. With a corncob pipe and a button nose and two eyes made out of coal. Frosty the snowman is a fairy tale they say. He was made of snow but the children know how he came to life one day.

I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus. Underneath the mistletoe last night. She didn’t see me creep down the stairs to have a peep; She thought that I was tucked up in my bedroom fast asleep. Then, I saw mommy tickle Santa Claus Underneath his beard so snowy white; Oh, what a laugh it would have been. If daddy had only seen. mommy kissing Santa Claus, last night.

I’m dreaming of a white, Christmas. Just like the ones I used to know.

Grandma got run over by a reindeerWalking home from our house Christmas EveYou can say there’s no such thing as SantaBut as for me and Grandpa, we believeShe’d been drinkin’ too much eggnogAnd we’d begged her not to goBut she’d left her medicationSo she stumbled out the door into the snow

Merry Christmas and a Happy New year from us all.

And remember guys, For Calum

Keep it Surreal,Keep it Sublime

The Sublime Editors

Jaxx, Jon & Mr Wild

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CONTENTS

Cover image by ZIJUN STUDIOSDesign by Jaxx Shepherd

Concept by Jon Wilford

26/01/1987 - 05/01/2015

THE SUBLIME ISSUE 2015/10

IN MEMORY OF CALUM TERRAS

HANNAH MCKINLAY 4

TERO ISOKÄÄNTÄ 15

CHRISTMAS SWEETS 26

ZIJUN STUDIOS 28

MELODIES AND MEMORIES 40

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HANNAH MCKINLAY

Fresh from the Art SchoolAn Interview with Fine Art Student

1. Sometimes in the wash of all the colours and mediums out there for us artist to use, the most simple, traditional and effective medium is the pencil. a hard medium to master. Hannah Mckinlay is one of those artists who’s pencil work shouts out with its talent, her painting is just as good too. So Hannah, who is this pencil master we have the pleasure of speaking with.

My name is Hannah McKinlay, I’m 25 and I’m from Lincolnshire UK. I specialise in figurative portraiture, painting and drawing especially, but I have dabbled in 3D work and photography- not to much avail unfortunately I should definitely stick to the pencils! I have always been interested in pursuing a career in art for as long as I can remember. I grew up deep in the Lincolnshire countryside with my parents and younger brother. My parents are medical so mine and my brother’s pursuits were quite unexpected (he’s a musician). They’ve been nothing but supportive of our unpredictable career paths however! After finishing my A-levels I went on to study a Fine Art Foundation at Hillsborough College in Sheffield. I was side lined a little when I gave birth to my beautiful daughter Esmein 2010, but I am just going into my third year of a Fine Art Degree at the University of Lincoln.

2. Your a fellow art school minion like myself (I graduated from Lancaster a few years back). So you are in your third year now, do you think your art would be the same with out studying Fine Art?

I think the subject matter would be the same. I’ve never Really strayed from portraiture- it’s something that has always Fascinated me. But I think the environment of an art school studioReally pushes you to achieve the best you can- I’ve found It quite a competitive atmosphere (never said by anyone, but always felt). I don’t think I would have pushed my limits in size or media if I hadn’t studied fine art in that environment.

3. Do you think portrait art holds it merit still in art schools, or do you find more and more people take the conceptual route?

I think it does still hold merit- but from my experience in an art school environment you have to be prepared to analyse every stroke, every move or colour choice and be prepared for intense scrutiny. Every art form is scrutinised of course, but there is hundreds of years of previous examples of incredible portraiture to be compared to. It’s daunting.

4. Picasso mastered painting like the Dutch masters by the age of 16, if anything the comparison and scrutiny made him a better painter. From that he got bored with art and decided to break the rules he had learned and the rest is art history (literally) do you think in an art school environment today, is there any room for something new and exciting to be created. A movement maybe that has not yet moved? or do you think we can only improve on what we have

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already created?

Not so much a movement as such, but I think perhaps artists will focus more on authenticity rather than originality? I don’t believe there is anything new under the sun and perhaps art will reflect this more and will consider art history as more panoramic rather than linear- and stand on the shoulders of giants to push the already established movements into a more contemporary understanding.

5. Where would you like your art to fit in with this?

I’m particularly interested in the skill element of art. Painting and drawing as a vocation. The way academies trained and painters had apprentices. I think this element of art is becoming rarer, the freedom of the modernists rendered the old academies teachings more irrelevant and I think this needs a little resurgence. How you said Picasso threw his knowledge away, I’m interested in getting that back a little. I think conservative academy teaching could be pushed into a contemporary arena.

6. Was art your dream profession growing up?

Yes. 100%. I’ve never wanted to do anything else really. I played with the idea of medicine like my parents- but funnily I liked the idea of being a Maxillofacial surgeon which I suppose is similar to portraiture... I never really tried hard in any subject other than my art classes so I made my choice very early I think.

7. I wanted to be a psychiatrist, I didn’t realise that art would be my passion and my psycho analytical outlet ha. Having academic parents, have they shown much support towards your art?

It’s funny how things work out isn’t it! Ive been really lucky they’ve both been incredibly supportive. It’s such an uncertain career path to enter and I’m sure that worries them, but they know it makes me happy. They both have

a creative streak as well so I think they can understand both ends of the spectrum. My dad has an amazing eye for photography and my mum made us clothes when we were little, also our houses have always been decorated beautifully so they’re both massive all-rounders really!

8. It sounds like you have it made for you. If I was to say to you that you can exhibit with three artists, alive or dead, who would you pick and what would the exhibition be like?I’d say I’m lucky to have the support, but without it it’d be impossible to be doing what I am. Going back to university to do a fine art degree as a single mother of a 5yr old is a pretty huge task. The hours you have to put in are enormous. So I’m incredibly grateful my parents are the way they are. I would choose Egon Schiele as his I find his portraiture absolutely fascinating. The aggression and self deprivation in some of his self portraits are captivating. I would also choose Jenny Saville, the way she paints flesh is quite unlike anything I’ve seen, and the honesty in her likenesses are really interesting.Finally I’ve come across Ryan Hewett recently and I’m completely obsessed with his painting technique. To have such amazing drawing in a painting that is so loose is an incredible skill and I’d love to pick his brains. I think it would obviously be an exhibition of portraiture, but with those three artists the range of technique and subject matter would be immense.

9. Sounds perfect, make sure you send me an invite. What is your plans post art school and how will you achieve it?

Well that is the hardest question you’ve given me!Honestly, I don’t know. I’m hoping to continue studying, I want to apply to an MA course and give myself another year to decide!I’m quite determined in networking, and learning from other artists so I hope I can carry on doing that, get an MA and see where it goes.As long as I can still draw I really don’t mind where it all takes me.

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10. What would your perfect drawing look like? Would you draw it or would it be drawn by another artist?

I think a perfect drawing has the right combination of composition and skill, careful notice of light and dark and that extra sibylline quality of being able to capture and enthral the viewer. I would love to be able to say I have done a drawing like that, but I don’t think you’ll ever really know if you have. It completely depends on who is looking at it I think. Robert Longo’s drawings do that to me, and I think his ‘Men in the Cities’ series is about as close to perfection as you can get.

11. You draw so much inspiration from others yet your work has its own style. It’s refreshing! What is your thoughts on conceptual art and the recent nominees/winners of the Turner art prize?

I like to think of myself as someone who appreciates all areas of art, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t favour the forms similar to my own. Conceptual art does fascinate me though, as it’s so far removed my own practice. I’d love to collaborate with a conceptual artist one day, perhaps in an installation to see what could happen with two opposing art forms. I haven’t made it to go and see the Turner prize exhibition yet, I try to do it as often as I can. I liked that a collective won this year, I think it was quite unusual. Out of the nominees I liked Nicole Wermer’s work best. They had their message of course, but as objects themselves, the fur coats draped on chairs were just lovely. They were beautiful just as objects. The simplicity of it.

12. Do you not think it’s been done before, first by Marcel Duchamp 100 years ago and then again in the 90s with the yba’s, and most the work now has aesthetic value and the conceptual value is a second thought?

I’m completely out of my area commenting on this, I’m completely comfortable with recognising I lack the imagination of a conceptual artist, but I do agree with you in a way. I think artists from this point on will have to really dig deep to find ‘something to say’ conceptually. What else is there

to say? And when someone has already said what you want to say, can you not at least make what you want to say more beautiful than them? But then also, is it not the conceptual value that emphasises the aesthetic value? To see something perfectly curated in an installation- like Wermers’ fur coats, and then to learn to concept, does that concept heighten the aesthetic quality of the piece? Because without that idea, all they really are a couple of fur coats thrown on some chairs. Even the curation becomes somewhat irrelevant. I’m not a conceptual artist in that way. We are creatures poles apart and I can only make comments from the perspective of someone who doesn’t work in that area!

13. I think you have a wonderful way of looking at art, I’m sure you will do really well after your degree after getting to know you through these questions. I’m a painter myself and I believe painting will never die but constantly evolve. How do you think your work will evolve to survive in the ever changing art world?

I’m not too sure how that evolution will go! I think I’m eternally hopeful of a modern Renaissance where traditional art forms will dominate the contemporary platform and painting and drawing as a vocation will have a resurgence- one can dream... I think I’d like to get involved in a collective, I’m quite comfortable in my own work and I’d love to be involved with like minded people and challenge each other. I think my evolution will involve the influence of others definitely. Perhaps a modern-age Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood? Whether I’ll survive or not is another issue. But like you said, painting will never die, and I 100% agree with you on that.

14. I have really enjoyed getting to know you and your art, I feel that you will go far with your art and wish you all the luck with it. (Stay in touch with us). Last question, what are your plans this Christmas.

Thank you! It’s been a pleasure talking to you. This Christmas? I’ve just killed myself handing in for a deadline so probably do as little art and as much drinking as possible! Thanks again!

Be sure to check her ever growing portfolio out at www.hannahmckinlayart.carbonmade.com

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This Month we bring to you the surreal and enchanting paintings off Tero Isokaanta.

I was born in 1982, Kalajoki a small city in Finland. My mother is an artist too, so we have joked that I was painting in her stomach when she was pregnant . I was doodling with pens before I could even walk. First oil painting I made when I was four years old (I didn´t paint when I was teenager. Girls and ice hockey was my thing back then ). I´ve been drawing my whole life but I started to paint again when I was 16 and since then I´m on that road. From 2000-2003 I studied Glass art, so my profession is Art glass artisan. Absence of art glass equipment I continued to paint and fused the learning to paintings.In Finland if you´re male you have to go to army (minimum 6 months) or do civil service which is non-military service (13 months). I am a pacifist and war resister so I refused all that and I was sentenced to prison to six months (year 2006). I´m a peaceful fellow, so I did get along with everybody and didn’t have any problems. That experience still riches my life and my art because the different life views I learned over there. Because of that experience I think more what I want to say to people with my art and what kind of energy I want to create in to this world.When I was learning glass art I did lot of reading about Native Americans, different religions and spiritual knowledge. So that´s why in my paintings there are some kind of mystique presence.First I started to paint oil paintings when I was 16 to 24 but then I wanted to work more and paint quicker. So I found acrylics and have painted with those ever since. I´ve been

thinking to get back into oil but I haven´t started yet…I like to hike everyday with my wife and my dog so I draw creativity from nature. Usually I have camera with me, so I can take reference photos for my paintings or just take landscape photos.

Paintings:1. Self portrait, acrylic on canvas, size 75 cm x 100 cm, 20142. Secret of the pearls, acrylic on canvas, size 100 cm x 120 cm, 20143. Stardust, acrylic on canvas, size 50 cm x 70 cm, 20144. North star, acrylic on canvas, size 80 cm x 100 cm, 20155. Maestro (Portrait of Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer), acrylic on canvas, size 70 cm x 90 cm, 20156. Fire is rising,acrylic on canvas, size 50 cm x 60 cm, 20147. Fall 1917, acrylic on canvas, size 80 cm x 100 cm, 20158. Bella Donna, acrylic on canvas, size 50 cm x 60 cm, 20149. Prayer, acrylic on canvas, size 70 cm x 90 cm , 201210. Woman, acrylic on canvas, size 30 cm x 40 cm, 2014

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SHELLY SKELLINGTON’s RECIPES

CHRISTMAS SWEETS

Ahhhhh Christmas. I confess, I am a creature of habit and I tend to cook the same or similar things each year if I’m having guests over, because I know it works and tastes good. Last year I gave you my best recipes for a festive turkey dinner, and also my cranberry sausage rolls, which is a favourite. It’s these recipes I’ll be making again, mainly because this year I’m cooking for seven people, and cooking for seven people on Christmas day is NOT the time to try new recipes! So if you want a good Christmas lunch recipe, cast your eyes back at last Decembers issue, and get that turkey basted and in the oven.

I thought I would share with you some dessert and treat recipes, food you can have fun making with your partner or even kids. Lets not forget the all important Christmas Breakfast as well. My sweet toasties are super easy and ridiculously indulgent.

Festive Brownies

Brownies are a favourite in my house, and there’s nothing better than making them all festive and having them as a Christmas treat. This batch has the nickname ‘Bouncing Brownies’ because of the effect the sugar has on us. I don’t know if its because we don’t eat a lot of high sugared food, but my Husband and I ate these as a naughty treat in bed at midnight, and we turned into hyperactive over stimulated children who couldn’t sleep. I’m not entirely sure we aren’t Gremlins now either. So distribute these with caution, if you give them kids, it might send them up all the walls! Ingredients150g Unsalted Butter170g Chocolate (dark or milk, I went for milk)225g Caster Sugar2 Eggs 150g Self Raising Flour150g MaltesarsAbout a handful of mini marshmallows and a handful of cranberries

Bring all ingredients up to room temperature. Pre heat the oven to 180c. Grease and line a 23x23cm pan with baking paper. I’ll be honest, I have no idea how big my square pans are, so I guestimate. The larger the pan, the thinner the brownies will be and they will cook quicker, ergo, the smaller the pan, the brownies will be quick thick and will take longer. Melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring every time you remove it from the microwave. Be careful not to scold the chocolate, as it will become bitter and taste awful. In a separate bowl, whish together the sugar and eggs until frothy, then pour in the melted chocolate and fold in the flour. Stir through the maltesars, marshmallows and cranberries.Bake in the oven for about 20 mins or until the edges start to crack and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out almost clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin, then cut.This is delicious microwaved for 30 seconds then served with ice cream.

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Super Sweet Toasties

These are outrageous, over the top, delicious and indulgent. They will have quite on effect on kids (of all ages) because of the sugar, but if Christmas isn’t the time for indulging, when is? You will need a regular toastie maker, you can buy them for around £5 at the supermarkets but may I suggest spending a little more to get the ones with removable plates, as we all know cleaning them is hassle!

Chocolate and Marshmallow ToastieButter two slices of bread on one side, warm up the tastie maker, and place the fisrt side butter side down. Place a good handful of mini marshmallows on the bread, topped with around 8 squares of any chocolate you want. Place the other butter side up and close your machine, toast until slightly golden and let it cool before eating!

Banana and Cinnamon Toastie

Follow the steps for the bread as above, and for the filling use a chopped banana, sprinkle over some soft brown sugar and some cinnamon and toast!

You could make a lot of different combinations, chocolate and banana, banana and nuts, cranberries and chocolate…..Use your festive imagination and give the smoked salmon a rest for one year.

Have a wonderful Christmas Sublime readers. I wish you a happy and healthy 2016!

Love Mrs O’Hagan xxx

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ZIJUN STUDIOS1. Illustration has always been a big passion of mine, seeing stories drafted in pen and ink, looking for something that stands out from the crowd like a special kid in the school playground. I never know what I am looking for when I go on an illustration venture and when I came across Zijun’s work online a knew I had found an illustrator who got my creative eye balls buzzing. So Zijun, who is the artist behind these amazing pieces?

I was born in Guilin, which is a very beautiful city in Southern China. I was a very naughty kid so my mom was trying to use drawing to keep me out of trouble. She would give me a different assignment to draw every day, if I didn’t finish it I had to recite a very long paragraph of Chinese classic. Amazingly I developed the passion for drawing and painting. Driven by this great passion, I came to New York to study illustration at School of Visual Art. I met many talented people and they helped me to discover myself and become a better artist.

2. Sounds like you have had an amazing life! What was it like moving from China to new York?

It was a big culture shock for me, especially the languages sometimes has different expression of the same thing, for example in Chinese we pronounce “He” and “She” the same way but when it comes to English people say it differently, so a lot of times my friends thought I had their gender mixed up! Other than that everything is very fresh and exciting for me.

3. What is are the differences between studying art in new York and studying it back in China?

I believe the main difference is: In China, most teachers I met emphasize more on the technical aspects of making art; here I have a little more

freedom to exercise my imagination. It is not necessary to say which is good or bad, the hard part for students and teachers is to find the balance between limitation and freedom.

4. You can see the diversity in your work. So many styles coming together to create your unique style. How did you decide illustration was going to be the thing you do?

I was pondering one day in my high school, what kind of career can give me both the freedom to exercise my imagination and the fulfillment. Since drawing and painting have always been deep in my bones, so choosing a career as an illustration becomes a very natural decision.

5. It appears to be something you was born with, how hard did you have to work to get to the amazing standard you are at now?

I am always enjoying the pleasure from learning and challenging myself. Every time I achieve my goal, I will look ahead for more challenges to overcome, because there are so much great knowledge to be learned. I consider myself as a student of the industry, and believe good enough is never enough.

6. That’s such a strong and inspirational look on things. You say your a student of the industry, do you work full time in the creative industry?

Yes, I work full time in the industry. Being a student, I mean,there are always more for me to learn no matter how much I know.

7. From one industry artist to another I know how hard it is to turn our love into our career. What was

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your journey from graduate to professional like and what advice would you give to our readers that want to have a creative break and turn their passion into a career?

I started to prepare my portfolio and other things way before graduation so it was not hard for me to enter the industry at the beginning. One of the most important advice I received that I would like to share is: saving some money before you start the career. It is so important because without worrying about paying the bill, the artists can focus intensely on their career, making decisions based on passion, opportunity and growth, otherwise the artists may need to work 8 hours a day and only spend very few time on their career. This situation may put them into a disadvantage to compete with the full time professionals.

8. That’s brilliant advice and I’m sure it will help many people. Your portfolio is massive and very impressive, how do you come up with the ideas for your illustrations. With this issues front cover all we told you was to do a Christmas scene yet you created an illustration full of humour and creative ideas.

Every project has a different concept, so the solution to them should not be a cookie cutter. I would ask myself some questions about the uniqueness of the projects and find out the core ideas, using them as the building block to construct the whole image.

9. You have a lot of work in your portfolio, have you ever created work for well known clients or famous companies?

Because the wonderful advantages of being a freelancer, I am able to work with different clients in a global scale. Recently I just finished a project with Phoenix Magazine for their January issue, and also another one for a Spanish publication “Ballena Blanca” which made into posters displayed on the Paris Climate Change Summit this year.

10. If you was not an artist, what would be doing instead? I always fancied being a rally car driver.

If I were not an artist, I probably will work on motorcycle. Because I really love the look of exposed engine, the sound of the exhaust and the freedom of driving it.

11. If you had the choice of picking any three artists (alive or dead) to exhibit your work with, who would you choose and why?

The three artists are James Jean, Terada Katsuya and David Choe. The reasons I choose them are because the respect and honor I have for them, and also the diversities between each artist which would make the exhibit very attractive.

12. That’s a good choice, I would love to spend a day with David Choe. His art is brilliant and his sense of humour is amazing. As the year is coming to an end, if you look back on 2015 what would you say was your biggest success?

I would say the biggest success in 2015 is making a progress towards my goal, moving further than the previous year. I always believe the biggest success is yet to come!

Its been wonderfull getting to know you.

If you would like to more of Zijun’s work be sure to check out www.zijunstudio.com

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By Luke Berryman

MELODIES AND MEMORIESAsk anyone about music in video games, and they'll usually hum a cheerful 8-bit tune from the arcade era. While chiptune has become a very successful genre in internet circles, it's safe to say that the evolution of video game music goes largely unappreciated. There have been games with great contemporary soundtracks like the Grand Theft Auto series, games based around the concept of music like Guitar Hero, and games which have taken familiar themes and inflated them to epic proportions like Super Mario Galaxy.

There remain, however, very few video game series in which the original music is one of the main drawing points, where it is safe to say that great care and dedication have gone into the orchestration, where the music evokes powerful feelings and stands on its' own. One of the shining examples of this rare work is the music of Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series. The other, even brighter star is Square Enix's Final Fantasy series of Roleplaying games. The music soars and sweeps above the spectacle of in-game events, and even back to the blighted 8-bit era, with extremely limited hardware on offer, there were tunes which managed to be evocative and touching, subtle and rich. Incredibly, this has largely been the work of one man, composer Nobuo Uematsu.

Uematsu's genius is no better demonstrated than by the pieces that have stuck since the very first game, from the tingle-inducing Crystal theme to the suitably upbeat and joyous Chocobo theme. The first incarnation of the battle theme manages to embody danger and adventure all in one, while the theme of Gurug volcano was clearly good enough to receive a nod years later in Final Fantasy IX. The iconic victory fan fare, in only a few seconds, manages to convey a sense of rousing triumph that would secure it's place in history. Into the 16-bit era, Final Fantasy VI gave us opera on a grand scale and one of the most complex and foreboding villainous symphonies of

all time. The classic Playstation-era upped the game in every aspect, leading to deeper arrangements and, for the first time, proper vocals.

Everyone who has played Final Fantasy VII, by far the most commercially successful game and many peoples' first taste of the franchise, remembers the story, the characters, the distinctive dieselpunk aesthetic of the world. Everyone will equally remember the music. The soaring heights of the opening arrangement, the mystical and otherworldly Cosmo Canyon, the bittersweet solo piano of Aeris' Theme. The latter song is associated with one of the game's most iconic and heartbreaking moments, and it's safe to say that the moment would lose a great deal of it's emotional impact without that leitmotif that had come to be associated with a beloved character and then completely turned on it's head in the moment of her untimely death. Likewise, the foreboding and sinister tones of J.E.N.O.V.A, the theme of an extraterrestrial threat the existence, swell throughout the game and come to their eventual head. Building upon the 16-bit symphony that was Final Fantasy VI's villain track Dancing Mad is perhaps the most iconic piece of music in the series outside the jaunty chocobo theme, the climactic One-Winged Angel. Uematsu combines ominous Latin lyrics from Carl Orf 's Carmina Burana with a multilayered pieced that builds and builds, from bombastic to sweeping, from undertones of menace to flaring existential threat. It is a testament to the man's ability that this piece has stood the test of time.

Uematsu continued to work on the Final Fantasy series until the twelfth installment, and cites Final Fantasy IX as his magnum opus, my personal favourite game. He has even taken his work to full orchestra with the Distant World series of concerts. The legacy of the music he has created is one of extreme enrichment of the soul, a body of work which stands high above the medium it was created for.

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Budapest By Jaxx Shepherd

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