Artist of the Week: Ori Toor

One of the most rewarding aspect of running an arts and culture website is the opportunity to communicate with creative people from around the world. As much as I enjoy shinning the spotlight on Chicago and all it has to offer, I feel I am accomplishing something more substantial when I reach out further. For this weeks interview I felt compelled to reach out to Tel Aviv's up and coming artist Ori Toor. I had scene his work mentioned in a couple of places, but I wanted to know more about his experience as an art student in Tel Aviv. Ori was kind enough to reply and share his drawings and animations with me.

Orange Alert(OA): How would you describe your work?
Ori Toor (OT): I think my work is just me pouring my subconscious on paper till things start making sense to me. looks-wise, it's a wiggly world made of yogurt but sometimes it takes a left turn and becomes something else. people tell me i have a very definitive style, but it all feels very unexpected to me.

OA: I love the little animated shorts you've created. Do you have animation in mind when you draw your illustrations? How long did it take you to create those videos?
OT: Its funny - I think i always had animation in mind. even when drawing as a child. when i draw something, i tend to think about the movement a lot (one of my earliest childhood memories was the movie "Fantasia"). the videos i made so far are hand drawn, frame by frame using a wacom tablet and flash. drawing 25 frames per second takes a long time but the computer gives you powerful tools when it comes to directing a short with very little elements. it takes roughly a week to two weeks (depending if i got other things to do) to make a 50 seconds animation. hopefully I'll get faster as i go along.

My name is... from ori toor on Vimeo.

OA: How has your experience in school helped shape your current output?
OT: art school is not for everybody, but i sure got A LOT from it. i started drawing and doodling from a young age, but i had a few years of being absolutely terrified of drawing anything. i remember staring at a blank page anxiously till i just dropped the pencil with frustration. School yanked that fear right out of me by forcefully making me do things all the time and develop a routine. i guess some people have the drive but they need the encouragement, discipline and sense of camaraderie that school can provide.

OA: What is the art scene like in Tel Aviv? Are there opportunities for young artists?
OT: I think the most interesting thing the art scene in Tel-Aviv has to give is it's street art. with artists like Klone, Know Hope and many more. You keep seeing new things all the time just by taking a short stroll. We have high art galleries along with cool young spaces (like urbanix), but i don't feel like i know enough about it yet. there are definitely not enough opportunities to sell out :)

OA: You have pick two great songs to highlight your videos, do music play a role in your art? Do you listen to music while you draw?
OT: If someone asks me about the meaning of life, I think playing a song would be an appropriate answer. For me, there is no art that influences the mind more directly than music. I wish drawing was as powerful as music but it's different. Animation is a great way for me to sort of "collab" with music (if you can't beat it - join it), and yes, it's a major source of inspiration. as for listening to music while drawing - i used to make whole playlists for working but recently discovered i think better in total silence so i try keeping the music for more labor oriented parts of the process (like coloring or making patterns etc.)

OA: What's next for Ori Toor?
OT: well, I'm attending the Israeli comics and animation festival this month, selling some comics with friends from school and showing my animation. I still got senior year ahead of me (with a final project coming up and all of that). I'm thinking about making some t-shirts and doing some more drawing on shoes. I'm also working on a portfolio/blog website that will hopefully go live soon. It'll be really nice to just take a break and enjoy this summer vacation with my friends. Lots of going to the beach and such (the beaches here are awesome). Also, maybe work on not using brackets all the time when writing :)

Bonus Questions:
OA: If you could sit down to coffee with anyone (alive or dead) who would it be?
OT: I'm absolutely terrified of meeting people i appreciate and admire. I prefer sharing a watermelon+cheese with my friends. If i do have to choose, though, i guess i'll go with (recently deceased) Kurt Vonnegut, my favorite author. I imagine he's really nice and friendly, though the smoking would be an issue :P

OA: What was the last great book you have read?
OT: i have recently read Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood and loved every moment of it. It's a very musical novel.

For more information on Ori Toor please visit his website and his flickr page.