5 questions with tez humphreys

Tez Humphreys lives in and works from his cluttered studio in the better half of Leeds, England, where — in his mixed-media collages and graphic illustrations — he scours for beauty in imperfections. Humphreys' work has appeared in national and international publications such as Dazed & Confused, Computer Arts magazine, Esquire, and Anthem, among others. Though ostensibly a newbie in the world of commercial illustration at the prime old age of 23, he asserts that nothing will hinder him from realizing his ambitions in his chosen field. Augmenting Humphreys' illustration work is a career at an upbeat advertising agency, where he absorbs valuable lessons in methods of deliverance and concept-building. He is currently working on various editorial commissions, and by night, produces large-scale handcrafted illustrations onto canvas for upcoming solo exhibitions in the UK.

tez humphreys

01. Describe the concept(s) behind your interpretation of Select Flavor.

TH: I wanted to create a land where everyone is having fun, where the Select logo appears in natural surroundings and people are led to truly expect everything — even a large camera-lens scupture, surrounded by men giving women wheelbarrow rides. Everything is possible in a surrealistic land built for dreams and inspiration.

02. Give a brief sketch of the creative process you used to realize your Select artwork.

TH: I tend to follow my instincts and and just go for it. I'm always open to letting accidents happen and, when they do, using them to my advantage. I love finding beauty in imperfections and always try to discover new methods of working when I'm fronted with a new brief. With this particular project, I was keen to explore the organic route, and after endless hand-crafted compositions I experimented with color, scanning, cutting, pasting, and anything to make my ideas come to life.

03. If you could set up a studio anywhere, what location would you choose, and why?

TH: At present, I work from a makeshift basement sudio in our rickety house next to a river and woodlands. My commute puts me within an arm's reach of the city, so this location is ideal for me. Inspirations from city life and the countryside are always never hard to find, so I'm quite happy at my chosen port of call.

04. Who or what inspires you to make art?

TH: My constant collection of bits and bobs are always staring at me; that's usually enough to get the cogs turning and make me mould them into something that captures a moment, thought, or idea. I'm always searching for inspirations from local markets, new and old music, even conversations with friends and family.

05. What other projects are you working on-or dreaming about working on-right now?

TH: I'm currently creating a collection of hand-crafted originals for several shows around the country. This always presents me with a great opportunity to meet new people who appreciate where I'm coming from. I'm also working on various editorial commissions and album cover designs for an emerging band in the UK.