During times of uncertainty, it can be difficult to find the motivation to keep working. Dylan Safford, Gallery Assistant at ¾º²ÊÍø’s East Wing Gallery, recently reached out to interview one of our illustrious Art Department Alumni to ask him a few questions about his artistic journey to help inspire us to keep moving forward.
Joe Feinsilver, who has work included in the college’s Permanent Collection, was an art student at ¾º²ÊÍø from 2002-2004. He went on to receive a Bachelors of Fine Art degree from Mass College of Art in 2009, and moved to California to pursue a career as an illustrator and animator. He is now working as a Visual Development Artist at Netflix.
Q: How do you remember your time as an art student at ¾º²ÊÍø, and what school/s did you attend afterward?
A: “My time as an art student at ¾º²ÊÍø was great! I remember the classes and teachers being very supportive. I went on to study at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.”
Q: Following your art education, where are some places you’ve worked, what projects have you worked on, and where are you now?
A: “In 2010, Sony Pictures Animations flew me out to California to work on a movie called “Arthur Christmas”. “Arthur Christmas” was a collaboration between Sony and Aardman Animations. I credit this first experience for giving me the necessary tools to pursue my career with a strong work ethic, focus and professionalism. From there I worked on many TV shows and animated movies including “Tron: Uprising” for Disney; “Guardians of the Galaxy” TV series for Marvel; “Lego Ninjago Movie” for Animal Logic; “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” for Sony Pictures Animation; and “Love, Death and Robots” for Blur. I worked as an instructor at Gnomon and was recently a design supervisor on “Fast and Furious: Spy Racers” at DreamWorks. I also have done a lot of freelance work for other studios. I am currently working on an animated movie for Netflix.”
Q: What would you say was the most challenging obstacle for you in achieving a career with art, and how did you overcome it?
A: “The most challenging obstacle for me was to fight becoming complacent. I overcame this by writing down my goals and how I was going to achieve those goals. I have an amazing wife who helps push me to do my best. I also have some amazing friends I met along my career who cheer me on, which I greatly appreciate.”
You can see more of Joe Feinsilver’s work on , , or follow him on Instagram at or on Facebook at .