At the AI-AP launch party on November 9^th, I ran into Zachary Zezima, the artist who created the multilayered cover art for the eye that wraps AI31. He agreed to tell DART subscribers how this incredibly intricate piece of art came about:

Q: I understand that you landed the AI31 cover assignment because you had created a small edition self-published book on the subject of eyes. Please explain.

A: Actually, I first made a small zine based on little known stories from the Bible. A lot of these stories dealt with eyes or ways or seeing in one way or another. I submitted my work from that project to AI and one image was chosen, which led to me working on the cover!

Q: Why did you decide on eyes as your subject?

A: The designer, Paul Sahre, really liked my piece in the book that dealt with eyes, and he wanted me to continue in that direction and develop it further. We decided on portraying the eye in layers by utilizing the book and its different pieces and components.

Q: Are there any phrases from literature or popular culture that inspired your art for this project?

A:  I definitely was thinking about the All-Seeing Eye and the Evil Eye, but in the end, the book with the jacket on reminds me of the leather bound book of spells from the movie Hocus Pocus.

Q:  For the AI31 cover, what was the brief from Office of Paul Sahre?

A: Paul gave me a lot of freedom, which is exactly what every Illustrator hopes for in a project like this. Other than the theme of eyes, I was free to explore it the way I wanted (through many different versions and tests) until we landed on the final versions you see today. Incorporating the first and last illustrations into the front and back covers through die-cuts was also a really unique addition and idea, but all the credit for that goes to Paul!

Q:  Did you know all about the veins and nerves of the eye, and floaters, or did you have to do some research?

A: I've always been interested in science and medicine (I almost went to medical school), so doing a quasi-medical illustration wasn't a stretch for me. The eye is a very interesting organ, and carries a lot of importance both physically and metaphorically. I also tried to incorporate all parts of the eye, even the usually invisible floaters and muscular cells.

Q:  What is your next personal/self-promotion project?

A: Right now I'm working on a series of large 6-color screen prints that tell a story when viewed as a series. Look for them in the next couple of months!

Q: What advice would you give to young artists just starting out?

A: Keep busy with personal work and projects. If you build a body of un-commissioned work that interests you, that's the kind of work you'll eventually get paid to do.