[caption id="attachment_6004" align="alignnone" width="214" caption="Reno's Pernice Brothers"][/caption] I've long been a fan of Clint Reno's work and have collected all of his posters that I could get my hands on.  The reason I've become such a fan is that, often times, Reno's artistic interpretations give the music I love a visual association that I've forever married to the music coming out of my speakers.  I can't hear the Pernice Brothers without seeing a briefcase exploding with flowers, in hearing Death Cab For Cutie I associate a sad bear in a Winter coat, and the art he did for the Jeff Buckley show a few years back is something I always picture when I throw on Grace.  I'm not alone in my admiration for Reno, as bands like My Morning Jacket have recognized Reno's work as complementary enough to put on a t-shirt.  I guess what I'm getting at is that Reno has a unique talent for adding a dimension our life soundtracks that many lesser poster artists, or artists in general, covet.  So naturally I was super stoked to talk to Reno for a few moments about his art.  But please don't limit your interaction with him to what you see here if this is your first, or even second or third, exposure to Reno.  Please check out all of his breathtaking artwork here: http://www.galaxyreno.com/. You Indie: I read that you are from Xenia...have you seen Gummo? Clinton Reno: I have actually not seen gummo. From what I’ve heard it’s wonderfully disturbing. You Indie: After you left CCAD, what kind of work were you doing? Clinton Reno: Well, for a spell I was back at home, trying to figure out what happens next. I did that for about 6 months or so. I wasn’t really prepared for post college world as much as I’d thought I’d be. What I thought then that I would be doing at this point in my life and what I’m actually doing are completely different things. I thought I’d be illustrating children’s books, or maybe doing all sorts of freelance illustration. But those things weren’t necessarily what suited me best, and stylistically weren’t really where my strengths were. They were just what I was under the impression should be my goal(s). It seems like it took a while to broaden my mind enough to understand how I can make it as an artist and where and how what I do could fit in. Maybe back then I thought there were only certain ways your work could be seen and that those ways (or opportunities) had to be given to you, when in reality it ends up that you have to make things happen on your own sometimes and in ways you never knew before. But the short answer to your question is that I did some time at a text book company, a brief stint in the heat transfer t-shirt business, and then found my way into the bittersweet world of advertising as a designer. You Indie: Is poster art your 9 to 5 now? Clinton Reno: It is indeed. It ebbs and flows for sure (bands don’t tour as heavily during January and February for instance), but as I just mentioned making things happen on your own, it’s now become about making opportunities for myself. For instance, I feel my work has slowly started to gain a little attention for its style as well as the subject matter so I’m venturing into more art prints and apparel. If all goes well I hope to have that be a larger focus in the coming years, all the while still creating rock posters of course. [caption id="attachment_6005" align="alignnone" width="215" caption="Reno's Jeff Buckley Tribute"][/caption] You Indie: Do the venues, promoters, bands contact you and ask for the posters...how does that work? Clinton Reno: It’s a mixed bag. Depending on the job I will work with any of the people listed above. Sometimes it comes from a band that likes my work, but more often than not it’s coming from the venue or promoter. Promowest here in town for example handles 3, (maybe 4?), different venues and uses a handful of poster artists, depending on how that artist’s style fits the band. And they’ve been bringing in a ton of amazing acts for a while, and 09 is shaping up to be a banner one. You Indie: Are you a fan of Derek Hess? Have you guys met, talked shop? Clinton Reno: I have actually met Derek though it wasn’t in any sort of professional capacity (we weren’t both working artists booths at an event or anything). When I approached him he was showing a slew of new work at the Mahan Gallery here in Columbus, and I was probably just another fan in his mind, which is understandable given how many people were there and how many were clamoring to chat with him. I have tremendous respect for him, and for his ability and talent, but artistically I lean more toward a hard line clean style. Which isn’t to say I don’t think his work is amazing, because it is. [caption id="attachment_6006" align="alignnone" width="204" caption="Reno's Death Cab For Cutie"][/caption] You Indie: What is the first concert poster that you did? Which are you most proud of? Clinton Reno: Well, the first one I did was a simple black and white 8.5x11 flyer for a group of local bands here in Columbus. From there I worked with digitally printed flyers for about a year before meeting Mike Martin, of Enginehouse13, who told me that while my style may be good, if I was ever to get any attention or respect I had to screen-print these suckers. So with my limited knowledge from a class in high school, the aforementioned Mike Martin, and a handful of printing veterans on the gigposters forums, my wife and I were able to pull off a 3-color poster for the Evil Queens, which was kind of cool because two of the band members, George and Jacob, are screen-printing enthusiasts. I feel compelled to mention though that I really cut my screen-printing teeth on a job previous to the Evil Queens poster. It was a record cover for Donewaiting.com’s 2 year anniversary. It was 3-color job of 500 covers. It was ambitious to say the least but I had an army or help so it went super smooth. Sometimes when I print now I still laugh that my very first pull of the squeegee was with Dan Gerken (of Miranda Sound) and a few of the lines clogged instantly so we immediately took it off the hinges and washed it out (which is a huge pain) because I thought the ink was drying that quickly in the screen. Turns out I just needed to learn about a little thing called pressure when pulling the squeegee. To answer your second question- I have a hard time with seeing any of my posters as finished pieces because I see all the little things I would maybe have done differently, so I have very few favorites. In the 4 years now that I’ve been printing I may only really love 2-3, which isn’t to say I’m not proud of them, because I am. I feel I’ve grown in terms of what I can get away with both in terms of art and in terms of the printing process. But the one I’m most proud of I’d say is probably Miranda Sound’s final show poster. I was pretty excited when I came up with the idea because of how much I felt it related to what was happening (their farewell performance), and to top it off that it came from a song title of theirs. And it was very cool to be involved with this last show, this farewell- to have been a small part of their story, to cap it off with a poster like this- it was all sort of emotional, as mawkish as that may sound. You Indie: What mediums are you most comfortable working with? What elements of those mediums lend themselves best to your visions as they go from your head to your hand? Clinton Reno: Well, I love to draw and to hand ink all the stuff I create. But then I enjoy working in some photographic elements as well, though still within the 3-4 color range. I think over the last few years how I work has adapted to the end result- the 3-4 color screen printed pieces. And screen-printing is a perfect medium for me and for the way I end up working. When I would paint illustrations after I graduated I would always get frustrated that I couldn’t get a larger patch of the same color down without working it over and over. With printing I can obviously do just that. And I love the ability to fill in an area with a little texture, or some photographic elements to give the eye a little bit extra, all while trying to keep it from getting busy. [caption id="attachment_6007" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Reno's Coldplay"][/caption] You Indie: Some of the repeat imagery in your art is that of animals that assume human characteristics and old-fashioned machinery like bikes and hot air balloons. Where does that come from? Clinton Reno: You know what, that’s an amazing question, and one I’ve never really been asked before. But the sad truth is, I don’t know that I have a definite answer. Aesthetically the look of all that retro modern stuff really appeals to me. And I like all the pieces and parts of the stuff- the different items and textures that are thrown together to make it all work. I guess in some ways it even goes well stylistically with the way I draw. My lines, while cleaner and harder edged than say, Jay Ryan’s work, aren’t altogether that slick, or controlled. They have a hand inked feel to them, and I think the old-fashioned machinery is captured well using that type and style of linework. As for the animals, I think it fun to get away from humans sometimes, though I love being able to bring human characteristics and expressions into the mix. And in some ways I think there are times when someone may relate easier to a bear or a rhino than they could if the subject was an old man. A bear or rhino could be anyone. You Indie: You are obviously a big fan of music. Were you stoked to have your art featured at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Clinton Reno: Well, truth be told, that’s from a press release that’s been massaged a bit- I might sidestep this one to keep the mystery of that intact. Hope that’s alright (not trying to hide anything- was part of a poster show there, but it was AT the rock hall, not part of their exhibits or anything) You Indie: Where is the place you've been most proud that your art has shown? Clinton Reno: Well, I had a few posters hanging in the UK a few years ago. It was part of a large gigposter themed show, and I didn’t actually make the trip, but I find myself smiling the most when I put that one in any press releases. That and, oddly enough, I was pretty geeked recently to have a poster (and link) featured on notcot.org, a community contributed design site. There’s SO much amazing stuff posted on there daily that to be among it in any way is crazy humbling. You Indie: Is your son, Wyatt, following in your artistic footsteps? Clinton Reno: This made me smile. Well, he’s only just now 16 months old so he hasn’t had much time to sit still long, let along long enough to hold a pencil or crayon. The one thing he has shown an affinity for already is music. He drops his butt and sways to almost everything we play, from sugar pop hits like “Umbrella” to the Indie goodness of Miranda Sound. His favorite currently is TV on the Radio’s “Crying” or Gaslight Anthem’s “Even Cowgirls get the Blues.”