Here is a wonderful artist, Zachary Pryor, that we have had the opportunity to talk with recently. In addition to taking some of his valuable time for the Q&A, Zachary has graciously offered up some of his art as a prize in our latest giveaway. You can find details at the end of the interview.
Therefore I Geek: Tell us a little about yourself.
Zachary Pryor: I started drawing at 4 or 5 and knew right away that it was all I wanted to do with my life. I discovered comic books at 8 and quickly worked that into my style.
TIG: How did you get into comics?
ZP: Like I said, I started reading them at age 8. Colossus became a favorite right away and even helped me realize I was gay. I still love him and The X-Men remain close to my heart to this day, but Starfire and Wonder Woman made me excited as a child and as an adult too! Saga is my current favorite comic. I love all things Star Wars and One Piece is my favorite anime and the love of my life.
TIG: When did you start making jewelry?
ZP: Twelve years ago – While living in New York, I blended my love of painting, comics and jewelry and started selling them on the streets in Soho. The great response I got helped me move my wares into stores and online and I never looked back
TIG: What made you decide to combine these two passions?
ZP: I accidentally kicked a hole into one of my favorite paintings while moving to a new apartment. I was on a crowded subway and devastated. When I got home I cut it into strips and added snaps to make a bracelet. For a time I wore them every day. At the time I was waiting tables at this hellish job on the Upper East Side. Almost every single table I waited on would ask about the cuffs and where they could get them. So I quit, went home and painted 50 more and started selling them on the street!
TIG: How long does it take to make an average piece?
ZP: It can take anywhere from one to three hours. When it takes 3 hours I get sad and frustrated, but that often means the pieces are amazing!!! And the next time I paint it, it happens much faster!
TIG: Are you available for commissions?
ZP: I adore commissions. – paintings and earrings!
TIG: Are you looking to expand your line?
ZP: Always. I have an additional line on my other site – filled with my paintings, non-comic or anime related pieces and fancy jewels. http://www.zacharypryor.etsy.com
TIG: Is there a piece you are particularly proud of?
ZP: I love the pinkie pie little pony earrings, the Wonder Woman and Superman star shaped earrings, the Starfire and all my Storm earrings. And the Cheetara earrings!
Be sure to check out Zachary’s work at QUEVA Jewelry and Zachary Pryor
Now for the giveaway. As I mentioned before, Zachary has been kind enough to donate a piece of his art for this giveaway. Since individual tastes vary, Zachary wants to let the winner decide which piece they would like. The winner will therefore be entitled to one piece, up to $40 in value from Zachary’s Etsy store.
This time around our giveaway will be through FACEBOOK. It’s super easy, just head on over to our Facebook page, and publicly share the post for this Q&A. That’s it! It’s important that you share it from our page, so that we can see that you shared it and count your entry. Make sure your privacy settings are set to “public” for this post only (we don’t recommend public settings for every post, obviously). Deadline to enter is 11:59 EST Sunday, 11/15/15. The winner will be announced on Monday 11/16/15.
OFFICIAL RULES: (Please read the rules for entry carefully.)
1) Entry is easy: simply share on this from our Facebook page! One entry per person will be accepted.
2) Unfortunately, entries can only be accepted from persons living in the United States.
3) The winner will be chosen at random from all eligible entries and announced on Monday November 16, 2015. Deadline to enter is 11:59 EST Sunday, 11/15/15. Every effort will be made to contact the winning party before the public announcement. The winner will need to provide an address where the prize can be shipped. (However, this should not be included in any post sharing.)
4) If it is determined that the winner is ineligible (not living in the United States, etc) then a new winner will be chosen at random, and contacted.
5) Failure to comply with the rules listed will result in an ineligible entry.
6) Final determination of eligibility will be made solely by the staff of Therefore I Geek.
Therefore I Geek 