INTERVIEW BY RANTZ HOSELEY

HEAVY METAL: The first thing we have to get on the record… I’ve known hundreds of artists and never seen anyone paint like you do. You enter this almost trancelike state, painting with both hands at the same time, sometimes with your eyes closed.  Have you always painted like this? How did this technique come about?

ROB PRIOR: When I was 10 years old,  I had the thought, "What if I lose my right hand? I'll be done as an artist," so I switched to make my left hand my dominant hand for the next couple of years. I started using both hands to paint when I was around 13 when I first got published to save time.  

As for the trancelike state.... hell, I have no idea when that started. I didn't even know I did it until my wife pointed it out. She took a photo of me in "the trance" and showed it to me. I was like "Well, that's weird."

HM: You’ve done live painting a few times at Heavy Metal’s booth at comic conventions, and it always has an epic, theatrical feel. Do you enjoy these kind of events, and does the peripheral commotion from the crowd distract you at all?

RP: I enjoy painting anywhere at anytime. No, the crowds just add an energy that helps build the feeling of the painting. I often involve the audience into my work as well.

‍HM: I’ve seen you paint with anything on hand… is there a medium you prefer?

RP: I prefer gouache, which is basically a water-based paint. Lately I've been getting into oil paints, and I enjoy sculpting very much.  

HM: You’re best known in some circles for your renditions of well known characters… which excites you more, painting your own concepts, or interpreting existing characters?

RP: I enjoy painting both things for different reasons. When I paint pop culture, I paint it for the fans and the things that they want to see the most. But when I paint anything else, I'm painting it for me - which is actually what I prefer.

HM: I was especially struck by the sepia illustrations you did interpreting the writing of Edgar Allen Poe. How did that project come about?

RP: I painted those pieces for an opening sequence to a movie. The producer had reached out to me and asked me to help him do the sequence, and they liked what I had done so much that they had made my artwork an animatic for the movie.

HM: I know you teach now… who were your teachers and the artists that influenced you, both when you were first starting out, and throughout your career?

RP: I've been a mentor for years to several up-and-coming artists, but I haven't taught a legitimate class for about 20 years. However, I will be teaching a master class sometime this year.

I had a high school teacher who was a good guide for me early on, but there's a famous artist named Robert Heinel, who just so happened to be my father's best friend. After Robert, there wasn't just one particular artist who helped influence my style, there were many. From Jack Kirby to Banksy. I think that you need to be open to all kinds of art and all kinds of imagery in order to further your own vision.

HM: Aspiring artists always ask the established creators ‘what’s the secret to success?’  Is there one?

RP: Tenacity.

What people tend to forget is you may be very talented, but talent will only get you so far. It's skill, drive, and determination that make the artists. Too many artists will send in one portfolio just a few times, and when they get rejected they just give up. Where sometimes if they had sent it in just one more time, they may have gotten the job.

Rob's Web Site

Instagram: robpriorart

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