Artist Maintains Secret Identity While Doing Super Work

SAMSON

WHO IS “ARTIST XERO”? While the actual identity of the artist known as “ArtistXero” may be kept low profile, his work needs to be known to all! See why ArtistXero prefers to have the public focus more on his art rather than pics of the man behind it:

1. Tell us who you are and what you do as an artist/designer:
My name is Matthew Ebisch, but I work under the name “ArtistXero”. I think that art is more important than the artist who makes it, so working under another name keeps me humble…sorta. I am currently a freelance illustrator/graphic designer. Freelancing has given me the opportunity to work on a little bit of everything. Video game concept art, book illustration, logo design, etc. The work is great, finding the work and then trying to get paid for the work, not so great.

2. Now tell us about your artistic/creative background:
Well, when I was about 7 years old I thought that drawing, painting and such was pretty darn fun, so I would just do that for a living. From there I’m pretty much self-taught as an artist, though I did spend a year and a half at one of the most rundown art schools ever known to mortal man (which has since closed down). I worked as a graphic designer in the sign and tradeshow industry for 10 years before having a go at being a freelancer.

3. What role does God play in your life and in your work?
For most of my life I kept my art and my faith, the two driving forces of my life, separate from each other. As a kid growing up in church it seemed there was very little want or need for art so I never felt compelled to use my talent for God. Now that I’m an adult though I feel a heavy responsibility to do just that, use my talent for God. I don’t wrestle with it or overthink it, I just do it. There’s a lot of drama associated with being an artist but there doesn’t have to be. I just do the work given to me and don’t think it more important than it actually is. If I were a Christian plumber I’d snake toilets for God..though I’m more than happy with my current vocation.

4. What advice can you give the rest of us?
This should be popular. I think Christianity has lost the culture war. We have lost it and continue to lose it because we contribute little or nothing of artistic value to society as a whole. Too much of what we’re creating as Christians who are artists is derivative, amateurish or just plain bad. We have a duty to get our heads out of the clouds, squelch our delusions of grandeur and get pencil to paper or paintbrush to canvas and create art that actually makes a difference. So my advice? Learn your talent and then go learn it some more. Never be content or satisfied with what you do and how you do it because that kills artistic growth and lastly create art worthy of your Creator.

5. What’s the latest project that you’re most excited about?
I am the creator of a biblically inspired fantasy webcomic called The Saga of Samuel http://www.sagaofsamuel.com/ . The Saga of Samuel is a serial adventure fantasy comic loosely based on the person of Samuel, hero, Judge and prophet of Ancient Israel, whose story takes place in the book of 1st Samuel in the Bible. The comic is the culmination of everything that ever inspired me as a kid. Having grown up in the 80’s I, like so many of my generation, was completely enthralled and enveloped by the greatest pop culture decade there ever was. So I took all the great shows, movies, cartoons and comics I grew up on and mixed them with my love for good ol’ fashioned bible stories and thus The Saga of Samuel was born. It is an on-going project and I’m only a few pages in but, God willing, I’ll see this thing through to the end..maybe thirty or forty years from now.

That’s it for me. I want to thank Tony for interviewing me here at Art Lessons From God. Adios.

Related posts:

1. Is Your Work ‘Meaningless’ Because It’s Not ‘Christian’? Is your work “meaningless” because it’s not “Christian”? Is the...
2. Artist In Action: Christopher Marion Thomas I was so impressed with the work and the story of  artist...