Tilteed

Artist Interview: JadenKale

Welcome to Tilteed, Jaden! Wait… you’ve already been here for a while! What’s something exciting which the Tilteed community might not know about you?

If some people have read interviews with me at other sites, Tilteers will know I own over 500 tees. However what they might not know is that since I have so many, I’m planning to create a modular wall art with all the tees I’ve collected over the years (I promise, it won’t involve chopping up my shirts!).

We know you best as curator and all-around Tilteed cheerleader, but you’ve been playing the art game for a long time. What is your art background? What inspired you most then, and what inspires you now?

When going to school out East, I initially wanted to study marine biology, specifically the study of whales and cephalopods. Once in college, I switched from sciences and studied theatre education due to all the activities I was in: choir, private voice lessons, acting, etc. However, after a year of costume designing and set creation, I changed colleges and went into graphic design. Regardless of then or now, I’m always inspired by music. I listen to everything from screamo to indie and everything in between. I’d have to say I’m one of those people that wishes they sometimes had a continuous musical score set to what they’re doing all day long.

For any designers out there hoping to get a print, if you could have your ideal shirt created for you to curate, what would it look like? By contrast, what would a shirt you’d never curate in a million years look like?

The ideal shirt to send to me for consideration needs to show obvious talent, creativity and an ability to win me over with something that is fresh and new. I can joke and say, “Toss in a tentacle and you’re a shoe-in,” but honestly, there isn’t a specific detail or theme that will make me choose you over someone else. It’s more about the big picture. Send me work that shows me who you are and I’ll give them a look. But please, don’t send me pop culture or specific holiday work. I find it most common to get stuff two weeks before a holiday with emails like “I know blah-blah Day is coming up, can you see if you guys can fit this in?” The answer, most likely, is no. If you are shooting for a ‘holiday’ print, consider making something more vague holiday-wise, then focus on details and bring forth your own style. I’m much more likely to consider something that shows your talent than something that is specific to a holiday. And if it IS pop culture work you send to me, I want to stress it really has to stand on its own and not be dependent on the show, game, or whatever item it’s relating to. I shall not be sucked into a weak pop culture reference just because it has Pac-Man or Vader… But I really do love a good tentacle.

People who follow you ‘round the web surely know you’re into the culinary as well as visual arts. What’s your favorite cuisine? Ingredient? Recipe? Best meal you’ve ever eaten? Something you’ve always wanted to try?

My favorite cuisine? Well, I love Asian food. I’m Italian, so pasta will always bring me back to my roots, but Indo-Asian food is my crutch. So while my favorite meal I’ve ever had will forever go to my mom with her home made lasagna (both her traditional and seafood styles), just give me Vietnamese eggrolls or sushi and I’m yours. However it may surprise some that my favorite ingredient as of late (besides my obvious love of anything garlic), would be curry. I’ve been trying to cook more with curries and extending my expertise to the Indian dishes. My most recent success was shrimp masala with shallots and peas – my own recipe after reviewing similar recipes on the web. And you know it’s a success when the roommates eat the leftovers before you can put your hands on it! But alas, dear Mr. XYU has asked what have I always wanted to try, and he’s found me in a bit of a quandary. Delectable foods not yet tasted exist everywhere, but one unusual thing I do want to try in my lifetime is whale bacon.

You hail from Wisconsin, land of cheese and snow. How do the cows which make the former survive through your frigid winters? Do you know how to knit a cow-scarf?

The cows in the frozen tundra do quite well, what with the -14 degrees Fahrenheit right now in the evenings. They’re brought in for their evening rest in the barns to protect them from the frigid conditions. Much to your dismay I suppose, I’ve never had the need to knit a scarf for the bovine beauties… I skipped the intro courses and went straight to the cowl knitting classes instead.

Where can a Tilteeder go to see more of your art, or more of you in general?

If anyone really wants to see what I’ve been doing or what I’ve done in the past, the best place to look is at
http://dreamingattwilight.blogspot.com where you can find links to every place that is currently selling one of my tees. And if you don’t want to go there, you can always check out:

http://cafepress.com/JadenKale
http://jadenkale.mysoti.com

for other designs I have available.

Finally, as always, address your loyal fans.

I label you, Rhode Island. That makes you, Portland. You will, undoubtedly, be, Sevierville. And you in the back with the lush sideburns, you get to be Seattle. The rest of you lot, I address you as ‘the interwebz’.  Enjoy!