WORK SHOWCASE: Jeff Hinchee
This week, the Directory of Illustration is proud to highlight new work from Jeff Hinchee, represented by Salzman International.
THE WORK
Illustrator: Jeff Hinchee
Agent: Salzman International
Client: Dallas Observer
From the Artist: The issue, “Farenheit 421,” features stories about Texas’ banned book problem— it’s second in the nation (just behind Florida) when it comes to banning books.
Because my illustrations are paper sculptures, I had the unique opportunity to take my concept all the way to its limit. I set it on fire.
In the past I have taken some cool shots of old paper objects in my fire pit— those lingering around my studio that no longer seem useful and are taking up too much space. And I’ve also created some dynamic illustrations with paper “fire.” This seemed like a moment of synergy, but required some extra planning and experimentation to ensure my hard work wouldn’t burn too quickly.
The process of lighting the paper on fire, and photographing quickly while the flames grew was honestly exhilarating. There is nothing left of this set-up but some ash now; but I did get the shot I wanted— and the outtakes are amazing.
Texas currently has 625 banned books and the list is expected to grow quickly. I used the resource Pen America to search just within those books banned in Texas, to find the specific book cover art (and book content) that I wanted to redraw and incorporate in my illustration.
