Jon Warren | Pow Wow Hawaii

Pow Wow Featured Artist Jon Warren

February 20 2012

Q: What medium or mediums do you work with?
A: I’m a footwear designer by trade, but a photographer by choice. I work primarily with digital cameras because I love how it simplified the process. Early in college I wanted to become a photographer but I was so broke that getting film, paper and great camera equipment was out of the question. I’m still very simple with cameras, a 4/3 camera with a few lens and I’m good to go.

Do you work with any specific styles or subject matter?
A: I enjoy trying to capture the feeling of things I’m seeing or places I’m going. I’m constantly trying to set a mood or tone through my photography, a lot of that comes from editing myself and really thinking about what was special about the event or place I’m visiting. When it comes to showing my photos I like to shoot landscapes so they look more like paintings then actual landscapes. I’m more concerned with shapes and color than a perfect composition.

Q: How do you get ideas to create a piece? What inspires you?
A: I want to show something that you might have seen but in a different light. Growing up as a skateboarder, you tend to see the world in shapes and movement. I try and capture those things on film.

Q: Are there any artists that have influenced you and why?
A: Too many to list, plus it’s not just artists that influence me. I use travel, photography, painting, graphic design, movies, music, fashion, garden design, architecture, and collecting vintage to shape how I see the world. It also allows me to see the world my way instead of someone else’s version.

Q: Do you have any formal training or are you self taught?
A: A combination of both for sure, skateboarding taught me that failing is ok, it’s just part of the process. I tend to go into everything like that, knowing that I’ll probably suck in the beginning but if I fully commit to something I’ll eventually get good at it. I studied photography in Jr.College then when I went to university I specialized in 3-D animation. However I’ve been a graphic designer, clothing designer, and now footwear designer and none of these I was formally trained in. I just like making things and have to be constantly busy because my mind is always going in a million different directions.

Q: Why do you think it is important to have events like Pow Wow?
A: I like the idea of having all these creative people showcasing their passion. When I was a kid, pre-internet, you would have to travel and read magazines like Thrasher to see the outside world. At home we were always treated as outsiders or misfits because we dressed different and listened to different music. It was hard to find other creatives let alone understand that a ton of other kids out there shared the same passions. I think that Pow Pow is a good way to show other people that they can be creative in a multitude of different ways. It’s important that we share ideas and different ways of seeing things and I’m honored to be a part of it.

Q: How does being in a setting such as Hawaii affect your artwork?
A: I’ll let you know when the week is done, I’m looking forward to shooting Hawaii and hopefully capturing the feeling of what I’m seeing.

Q: Where can people find you and other works that you have done?

Visual Journal:
http://hypebeast.com/blog/jonwarren/
http://cargocollective.com/misterw