Illustration Alum Isabel Samaras has been catching a lot of press lately in the wake of her very first monograph, On Tender Hooks.  Here’s a little portion of an interview conducted by the fine folks over at Juxtapoz magazine:

How would you describe yourself? Your art?

Gee that’s hard, um, goofy redhead painter?  They say you can’t ever really have a clear picture of what kind of person you are but you can get some idea from looking around at your friends.  They’re an absolutely terrific lot, so maybe that reflects well on me.

I think of my art as lush, visual storytelling (I’m usually either going for a chuckle or a sympathetic sigh) but I have no idea what other people think!

What’s the first piece of art you remember?

My mom put Gaugin prints up around my crib when I was a baby; honestly, I don’t remember that, but I think they probably fed my love of color.

What part of your personality helps you to continue to produce art?

It sure isn’t the hopeless procrastinator part!  I think I’m a fairly solitary creature and that lends itself well to going into troll-mode in the studio and hunkering down for hours.  I’m really happy to spend big chunks of time by myself—as long as I know there’s some social interaction coming along eventually.  That’s what’s so nice about openings — a chance to scrape off the dust and paint, get out and see people.

Read the full interview and also check out 20 Questions with Isabel.  Keep up with her work via her blog and official website.  Also, Isabel will be participating in a panel at this year’s Comic-Con along with friend and fellow Illustration Alum R. Sikoryak.  The subject will be “Pop Perversity: Parody in Comics & Art.”  We’ll post more information about the panel when it is is confirmed!