We never know what our conversations on this show are gonna turn out like. Some people are talkative, some not so much. The one thing we seem to be getting here lately though is genuine—and we love it. Greg Manchess was as genuine as they come, folks.
If you're a fan of illustration, you already know his name and what his career consists of. Tons upon tons of high profile clients, book covers, posters, magazine illustrations, concept work for film, children's books, awards and a U.S. postage stamp.
He's been everywhere and done everything, yet when we talked to him, he was resolute that he's still learning. Still on his journey.
Hard work was also his mantra in the interview. Manchess isn't a big believer in gifts and 'God-given' talent. Put some blood, sweat and tears into it and then he says, you'll have something.
In the exchange, we found out a couple things about him that we didn't know.
One, he's essentially a ninja (our words, not his—and we're not kidding).
And two, he says he's just now starting to create the kind of work he always wanted to—after 30 years of doing it. That's astounding!
Dwight and I walked away from this one much fuller and richer than we were when we sat down. Greg was warm, honest and open—and kinda Zen at times, too (his words, not ours). In preparation for the interview, Dwight picked up on the Zen part and he was dead on—Greg doth wax poetic.
We had an amazing time with the man and thank him much for coming on with us. He's originally from Kentucky and listening to him talk was like enjoying some Kentucky Bourbon on a warm, summer night.
Hmm, maybe next time...
**Big thanks to ConceptArt.org and Greg's agent, Richard Solomon. They, along with artist Bryan Beus, have been putting us together with some truly awesome talent. We appreciate it, guys.
Picture provided by Irene Gallo.
At the VERY end of this episode, we played a snippet of Norah Jones' Painter Song. We too think 'painting your reverie' is a worthy pursuit.
Click here to download the show.
Tremendous interview. Once again, you ALL wax poetic! Thanks to everyone who made this interview possible and especially to you 3, Dwight,Swain and Greg.
Posted by: Shawn | July 29, 2009 at 08:51 AM
George Pratt AND Greg Manchess in a row!? You guys.....you guys are awesome ...
(Swain re: Ray, it's easy to be considered awesome standing near those two guys. We really had a wonderful time with 'em---they were very nice. Thanks, sir!)
Posted by: Ray Bonilla | July 30, 2009 at 08:04 PM
This was a wonderful interview. very insightful. I got a lot out of it. I didnt know he did illustrated for Omni magazine.
http://www.omnimagonline.com/
I have the first 10 issues of Omni so i will take a look.
cheers
Eddy
(re: They were awesome weren't they very classy, thanks Eddy! ~D)
Posted by: Eddy | August 04, 2009 at 06:54 PM
Great interview, thanks! I had the good fortune of taking a painting workshop that Greg taught last summer at the Norman Rockwell Museum. His work is inspiring as hell and he's a great teacher too, taking each student at whatever level they're at and encouraging and nudging forward. Yeah, he's the painter I want to be when I grow up ;)
Posted by: Michael Dooney | August 05, 2009 at 12:00 PM
Hey guys, thought you might get a kick out of this:
http://www.ted.com/talks/scott_mccloud_on_comics.html
Posted by: Shawn | August 06, 2009 at 12:48 PM
So enlightening! The bit about not worrying over how original your art is took a load off my back haha! Also how he had many styles and was not focused is the boat I'm in now, it was great to hear how he resolved it, and how it was holding him back. Fantastic show guys!
Posted by: Jeremy Forson | August 06, 2009 at 02:44 PM
That was wonderful. I want to listen to it over and over. It is just what I needed to hear for where I'm at with my art and schooling. Is there a transcript available?
(Swain re: No Christine, there isn't, but we too want you to listen to it over and over. Manchess is The Great One---he rocketh!)
Posted by: Christine Thomas | August 27, 2009 at 02:37 PM
I cannot wait to read this sucker...this guy is a god among gods in the illustration world. Love this site!
Posted by: ken meyer jr | October 01, 2009 at 06:47 PM
Greg is amazing. Thank you for posting this :)
Posted by: Tiffany Prothero | April 07, 2010 at 04:02 PM
Fantastic! Thank you for sharing your life Mr. Manchess, and thank you sidebar for providing this interview.
Posted by: Michael Licavoli | October 23, 2010 at 07:35 AM