Leif Parsons is an artist whose illustrations appear in major publications coast to coast, from the New York Times to the L.A. Times, where he produces a monthly art column. On receiving an announcement about a solo show of his personal art opening this Friday at the Greenpoint Terminal Gallery, and a group show opening on Saturday at the Buffalo Arts Studio, I asked him to take the DART Q&A. On the eve of splitting town for an unnamed, Wifi-free destination, Leif replied; here is what he wrote:

As an artist, what are some of your favorite things about living and working in New York?

I live in Brooklyn and was born in Pennsylvania, but grew up in Toronto from the age of five. New York has a lot of Quality, and Quality seems important (and charming). 

How and when did you first become interested in art and illustration? 

I came to New York without a clear notion of what I wanted to do, but I had a vague idea that children's book illustration interested me. Schooling in illustration turned out not to be great for me though, and I turned to design. Thanks to some good teachers, design led me back to illustration, which in turn gave me back the simple joy of making. This led me to where I am now—making both commercial illustration and art. (I use my middle name, Low-beer, for my art practice.)

What was your first commercial assignment?

Peter Buchanan-Smith was a guest in a class that I was auditing with Christoph Neimann and Nicholas Blechman. We had an op-ed assignment about 9/11 (which had just happened). Peter liked my solution and published it in the Times, which was quite a thrill at the time.

What is your favorite part of the creative process? 

I love the moment where you realize that you got lucky—that all that thinking, moving, and doing paid off and you got a little tiny slice of perfect. 

Do you keep a sketchbook? Do you have different sketchbooks for assignments and personal projects?

In my art practice, I try to always draw on good paper because I never know when something might become something else. For illustration it is mostly ideas-first, so sketchbooks are not as useful. Illustration is more a process of working out how to express something—if one is lucky enough (or tried hard enough) to get a good idea.

Cycling, car wrecks, figure drawing all seem to inhabit your art—are they somehow related in life?

Yes—in so much as I like bikes and I don't like cars (and I guess i like the figure).

How do you spend the first hour of your work day?

I am slow in the morning, and my brain lights up at night...

What are you reading?

At the moment I am reading Portrait of a Lady by Henry James, and David Sylvester's interviews with American artists. (Also "reading" Yuichi Yokoyama'sgraphic novel, Garden.)

Who and what are some of your strongest influences?

Saul Steinberg of course is a great illustrator. Tal R is one of my favorite artists working today. I have also been thinking about how emulating Fernand Leger could help me push my illustration practice a bit further.

What was the last art exhibition you saw and what did you take away from it?

I went to the Venice Biennale this year and seeing works by Sarah Sze and Anthony Caro made me want to draw in space.

Has social media been a boon for self-promotion? Or do you have methods you’ve always used that still work?

I can't tell. I have certainly seen it work for some people. I always feel better when I don't look at social media for a while. It's like TV for me when I was growing up—a struggle not to relax into the ultimate in passivity. Good quality promos generally seem to work, but I have not sent one out for a while (it is on the to-do list!).

Have you ever had a creative block with a deadline looming? What do you do to get crackin’?

Take a shower, ponder the problem while falling asleep, and/or make notes and word associations....

 [Where do you teach—and what do you like best about teaching?

I don't, but would like to try! Hint hint :)

What advice would you give to a young illustrator who is just getting noticed?

Keep on keepin' on! I have separated my practice into two areas—art and illustration—but I am not sure I would recommend that. Perhaps it is better to try to focus on one thing. It is tricky though, in that I see a lot of work that wants to be in both the fine-art world and the illustration world at the same time, and in essence illustration actually does need to serve a market. 

Leif Parsons was educated in Canada and New York and has degrees in Philosophy and Design. He has been working as an illustrator for a number of years and has been published by a variety of editorial and commercial clients including Harpers, The New York Times,McSweeney’s and Nike. He simultaneously has been executing personal work under his middle name Low-beer, which has been shown in L.A. and N.Y.C., among other places. He has recently been focusing on trying to find the line between looseness and tightness, between deliberate idea and spontaneous expression, between observation and imagination.