Hello there everyone and welcome to another student spotlight, I am your host Georisell. This week we have the pleasure of talking with Joey Gerace, a guy who have have a computer graphics class with, and who happens to be a totally amazing artist!

Meet Joey!

Name: Joseph Gerace (Joey) Class of 2021

Major: Illustration

I am majoring in Art because:

Sometimes people will go about some long winded explanation about how they were ‘called’ to their given field of work. To be honest, art was never my thing until sophomore year of high school. I had the great fortune of making some friends with amazing talent who got me to start doodling, keeping up a sketchbook, and practicing each day. It’s around this same time in high school you start making decisions about what you might want to do for the rest of your life, and I realized that art had become my passion.

The kinds of things that inspire me are:

It may seem old fashioned to say that I enjoy reading the Sunday funny papers, and pouring over comics but it’s the truth. I spent countless hours reading Charles Shultz’s Peanuts, and Bill Waterson’s Calvin and Hobbes. These two specific artists have inspired me since I was nine or ten, and I still find new meanings each time I read them.

My favorite class so far was:

I would have to say that given the choice, I would prefer to make things with my hands rather than a keyboard and mouse. I’ve had the opportunity to take classes at a community college for a few years, and attend summer art classes at schools like Temple Tyler and U-arts. I would have to say that my two favorite classes were illustration 1 and 2. I was able to get college level experience; prior to college, and learn about my chosen field from the amazing mentor and artist Christian Patchell aka “Patch” (Monstercomics on ig, really, follow the man.) Those two classes gave me loads of experience and I ended up with several pieces that I eventually put into my Marywood portfolio.

When I’m not in class:

I was homeschooled my whole life, all the way through high school. Probably one of the most FAQ’s I get is if I got out of the house at all or had any friends. The answer is yes to both. At home, if I’m not working on a personal art project I enjoy playing recreational sports, as well as competitive ice and roller hockey. I also play both the piano and drums, the former of which I’ve been doing since I was seven.

The coolest thing I’ve done so far was:

Although I do prefer traditional art over digital most of the time, I would have to say the favorite thing I’ve done this semester was in the first project of my Computer Graphics I class. We got to design five phone cases, and I found a way to combine my love for traditional art with the digital portion of the class to end up with some really fun designs.

When I graduate:

When I graduate I hope to be able to find a job as an illustrator with a company or companies for a while, but my end goal is to be able to self employ myself, and freelance my work.

I’d recommend the Art program at Marywood because:

The thing with art schools is that they are all art, all the time, with no exceptions. Marywood combines an amazing art department with a liberal arts school to give the perfect experience. For a while, I was only considering applying to pure art schools, but I am so glad I found Marywood and decided to go on the liberal arts path.

Who is your favorite artist and what about them inspires you the most?

As I said before, my two favorite artists are Bill Waterson and Charles Shultz. It’s not necessarily that I want to focus on that specific type of art, but more so the memories I have associated with their comics. Calvin and Hobbes will probably always be my #1. I know for a fact that by reading them and studying the art I’ve picked up techniques that I use in every piece I make today.

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Wow! Thank you Joey for letting us into a bit of your thoughts and experiences! If you would like to see more of Joey’s art, check out the mini, and beautiful, gallery below or follow him on instagram! Until then, keep on creating beautiful work everyone!