J.Otto Seibold has been doing things his own way since before that was a strategy. The San Francisco-based artist claims — and nobody has ever contradicted him — that he was the first person to make a children's book with computer illustration. His work has been exhibited at MASS MoCA and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, shown in fine art galleries, and collected by fans of all ages. His latest exhibition, Famous Paintings, is done entirely in acrylic spray paint on wood panel. He answered our questions in all lowercase, which felt exactly right.
1. You were one of the first children's book creators to embrace digital tools in the early '90s. Looking back, what originally drew you to creating illustrations digitally at that time?
i've always said that i'm the first person to make a children's book with computer illustration. and part of saying it was to see if anyone ever said "what about...?" and no one ever did. so i guess i'm right. i was doing commercial illustration work — and getting sick of it — with the computer prior to getting into publishing. so, it was my "style".
2. Your early work is often linked to the "outsider art" scene. Do you feel that label still fits your practice today, or has your relationship to it evolved?
another claim i've always made is that i am an outsider artist. principally because i've never had an art class... other than early school years with clay and potatoes.
3. Even though your work is digitally informed, your paintings retain a very warm, hand-made, and playful quality. How do you consciously preserve that human feel in your process?
there is actually a lot of crossover between illustrator and my spray paint work. masking in particular. i used digital a lot for making money... and now that money is over i try to never actually turn the thing on.
4. The exhibition "Famous Paintings" is done entirely in acrylic spray paint on wood panel. What led you to this specific material and surface choice?
i like the volatility of spray paint. things can go bad real fast! but truth be told the care given to repair fuck-ups often makes the painting better. the wood just seems like a solid material that suits collector investment strategies — just kidding, i just made that part up.
5. This show also introduces sculptural "book" paintings. What does transforming books into sculptural objects allow you to express that flat illustration doesn't?
the show was last april. but i remember it! thanks to KPprojects for having me. the books are something i've been doing for a long time. i used to live near a high end window fabricator and they had a free box of scraps. i'd stop on my bike and pull all the ones that were "book shaped". i called them "dense reads" at first. they look great on any coffee table.
6. Your career has moved between children's books, fine art galleries, and institutional exhibitions. Do you see these as separate worlds, or part of one continuous practice?
i guess it's all one. a few years back i had to redo a page from a mr. lunch book because the file corrupted. i had to teach myself how to draw like i did then! so everything i've done was just what i could do at the time. i'm a firm believer in the present tense.
7. Humor and whimsy are consistent threads in your visual language. How important is play in your work, and do you ever see it as a serious strategy rather than a light one?
i never like the term whimsy attributed to me. my humor is serious! being funny is often the result of managing all the horrific things that one encounters. it's said to be "good medicine".
8. With institutions like MASS MoCA and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts having shown your work, how do you feel the perception of your practice has shifted over time — from illustration to contemporary art?
no idea about perception of me. i'm stuck on the inside! i kinda feel like no institution is going to be emailing me anytime soon. now it's just getting, like, 70 likes on a mini picture of whatever i've done.
Follow J.Otto on Instagram at @jottoseibold