Female Founder Friday with Faran Riley
When you are in New York in your 20’s, it’s essential to have amazing, savvy, and older girlfriends who can guide you to what’s culturally “in” and open your mind to obscure music (preferably to be listened via vinyl). In January 2013 at an art opening, I first met Faran Peterson and knew that this was a person who would impact my existence. Artist, illustrator, jewelry designer, and maker, Faran is the epitome of what it means to be a “renaissance woman.” In the most formal dialogue we’ve ever had, we chatted about creative expression, art field trips, and people watching.
Faran Riley | Artist
JA: When did art shift from a fun hobby to a chosen career path?
FR: Drawing was never a hobby. It was something I did constantly, whether I wanted to or not. I knew early on that this was my career. I was constantly drawing in the margins of my papers at school and sometimes sneaking drawings into text books. I was always in trouble for drawing where I shouldn’t be. Each day after school I would draw for hours. I never left the house without a sketch pad and a bag of markers and pens. Even today, If I leave the house without a pen in my pocket, even to run to the bodega, I feel like I’m naked. Since about age seven I told everyone that I wanted to be a cartoonist for the New Yorker Magazine.
JA: How do you pick your subjects?
FR: I go through phases for subject matter. The last few years I’ve been working on these intense drawings of overgrown gardens mixed with under sea reef like foliage. They’re fantastical and have some hidden figures within them, cats and fish and unknown creatures. I spend time at the botanical gardens for inspiration. I go to a museum or galleries almost every week. I people watch in the park and I watch nature documentaries on TV. Sometimes riding the subway gives me good material for cartoons. People can be such caricatures of themselves, hilariously horrible.
JA: What's your process for creating a piece?
FR: I always have a sketchbook on me. I write down ideas and make little grids daydreaming about a certain plant or animal. Most of my drawings have begun with no real plan, but just one part clear in my mind. I start by drawing a specific plant or creature and then foliage and other animals work their way into the frame.
JA: Favorite quote?
FR: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
JA: What are you currently working on?
FR: I keep a few things going at once. On my desk right now is a drawing of a tide pool with a night sky background. Pinned to the wall above my desk are several ink washed drawings of gardens at night. The plants are really just silhouettes against a cloudy dark sky. These are sketches that I'm not sure will ever make it out of the studio, but I'm definitely on a night-time drawing kick at the moment.
JA: Who do you go to for support?
FR: I'm lucky to have many friends who love and appreciate art, whether they are artists themselves or not. I find talking over an idea with a friend can be immensely helpful. Looking at art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art is also a great way to get out of a slump. I wander around with the intention of getting lost, and I almost always find something new and different that inspires me.
JA: How has the art world changed since you first entered it/have you changed with it or needed to adapt?
FR: The art world has changed so much since I was in school, mainly because of social media. Instagram has introduced me to new artists or artists I'd never have found on my own and I have reached a lot of people who would never have found me without it. I think it's important to have a presence on social media, though I have a lot of criticism about it as well.
JA: If you could do a portrait of anyone, who would it be and why?
FR: I do a lot of drawings of people, but they're almost never of anyone in particular. I'm not a portrait maker, so I really have no idea.
JA: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10?
FR: I have a day job that I love and I am extremely lucky to have found, but it isn't drawing. To be able to cut back on my hours at my job and draw more and more is my most important goal for the next five years. To have a solo show at a good gallery is an important next step for me. I have been building a portfolio of work to show and am on the hunt for a gallery to represent me.
JA: What advice do you have for someone wanting to become an artist?
FR: The most important thing to do is practice. Practice by working in whatever medium you enjoy or find fascinating and never stop. You cannot be great at something without practicing. Some things will come to you easier than others, but you should always be trying out new techniques and tools and new surfaces. The next most important thing to do is to look at art by other people. Go to galleries, make friends with other artists, reference history books and visit museums. Make looking at art and talking about art a part of your art practice. I find that looking at art with other artists and then talking about what you're seeing together really makes me see more than if I were alone. I have begun to appreciate certain things that I would have never appreciated on my own.
If you would like to find out more about Faran go to: faranriley.com