Artist of the Week: James Ulmer

We all know that inspiration and influence can come in many different forms. For artist James Ulmer it is a variety iconic and not so iconic images from his youth that fill his images. It is an odd sense of nostalgia mixed with a healthy dose of experimentation and Ulmer's own personal touches that make his work so enjoyable. From ET to The Great Space Coaster, Ulmer's drawings are fun and creative, and always provide something new to look at.

Recently, James was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): How would you describe your work?
James Ulmer (JU): A lot of my work to me is like making this fantasy or a dream, the things that maybe I would have liked to see as a kid. Those ideas excite me.

OA: I've seen a picture of you holding an album from The Great Space Coaster (which was my favorite show as a child), how much of your work is inspired by that show?
JU: I like the show but I haven't seen it in a very long time. Lots of shows growing up inspired me like the Great Space Coaster,Sesame Street,Pinwheel etc.

OA: Have you thought about illustrating a children's book?
JU: Yes I want too. Maybe someday soon?

OA: Last year you were July's installment of Zine of the Month, what was that like and do you have any plans to do a zine of your own?
JU: The Zine was fun, I just used a lot of my sketchbook drawings and I think it turned out really well. I plan on making something new soon.

OA: Philly is home to a lot of young up and coming artist. What are your thoughts on the art scene in Philly?
JU: Philly has many many talented artist and I'm happy to be making art with a lot of them. Its like a family and you get excited to see people make art and that makes you want to make more art.

OA: What's next for James Ulmer?
JU: I having a show at Tinlark Gallery in October. Maybe make some books,zines too.

Bonus Questions:
OA: If you could sit down to coffee with anyone (alive or dead) who would it be?
JU: Oh man I have no idea? Somebody like Steve Bushemi maybe Dee Dee Ramone? Or Tupac?

OA: What type of music do you listen to and who are a few of your favorites?
JU: I like a lot of music African,Dub,Jazz,Noise. Some favorites at the moment would be Mississippi records stuff, John Fahey, Can, Kraftwerk, New Order, etc...

For more information on James Ulmer you can check out his blog.

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