In the Spotlight: John "Real" Lannom

While surfing the internet on a random given day, seeking inspiration and new talents awaiting discovery, I happened across an artist with a unique artistic taste and was hooked. Also, having been photographed with his Ashland Bar mural, my attention was drawn to this young man from Iowa who had showcased in many galleries. With a vast background in the arts, with an eye for interesting concepts and color design, he found time to share with me a bit about his life.

TC: What is your name? What is your artist name? How did you choose it?
JL: My name is John Yu Lannom. My street name is Real. This name came about after years of experimenting with more common names. After writing Real for 5 years I still don't want to or feel the need to change it (I do little to no illegal tagging anymore).

TC: How would you describe your form of art?
JL: I would describe my work as fine art with inspiration from the street and artists like Alphonse Mucha or even Frank Lloyd Wright.

TC: From who, where, when, or what do you draw your inspiration?
JL: When I was 3 years old I remember my grandfather sitting with me and encouraging me that my art was fantastic making me always want to impress myself and others as my skills and my own understanding of the arts progressed.

TC: What is your favorite medium? (sculpting, canvas, wall, etc.) Why?
JL: As of now I have been working a lot with collage. Using magazine clippings, receipts, and newspaper articles to create a backdrop. Then I always apply some spray paint and acrylic paint and I almost always have some tags from markers on my newer pieces. I use wood panels instead of canvas now because it's cheaper.

TC: What is your favorite piece/collection?
JL: I don't have one particular piece as a favorite but some artists that I always refer to are: Monet, Basquiat, Renoir, Mucha... More classical references are beneficial for my work.

TC: How does who you are affect your work?
JL: Some people claim they don't know who they are. But I think it's more the case that they don't know enough about themselves. I don't know who I am 100% but I know myself pretty well and that, I hope, is conveyed through my work. If lose grasp of who I am my work lacks meaning just like my life.

TC: What are your hopes and dreams as an artist?
JL: The most important thing to me as an artist would be my influence on other artists. If my art were to impact the masses of times to come then that would be the ideal dream for me.

TC: How do your parents feel about your work?
JL: My parents are very supportive of my work. Even if it's a little too perverse or different, they can see past it. I love them for that.

TC: What is the main message of all of your work?
JL: I don't believe all of my work has one message. Each piece conveys a different or similar message but rarely do I try and convey the same messages. I can think of some of my nuclear mushroom cloud pieces. These do share extremely similar meanings but they are not identical.

TC: Where have you been and where do you still want to go?
JL: This is a good question for me because I have travelled many places such as: the UK, France, Spain, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy, Japan, all over China, and I've lived in Taiwan for a half a year.

TC: What is your favorite color and why?
JL: Pink is becoming my favorite color more and more because of it's wonderful contrast with so many different colors.

TC: How would you connect the way you feel to your pieces?
JL: If I am feeling angry, happy, sad, horny, etc. you should be able to see it in my newer pieces. Even in my older works it is conveyed pretty well. So basically you can get a glimpse of my psych[ological] profile by looking at my work.

TC: How did you get into your line of art?
JL: First going to the Art Institute of Chicago and just being in Chicago helped my learnings turn into ideas. Chicago, being a melting pot of different cultures, helped teach me variety is important when making art. As time goes on my fluency and understanding of the arts gets vaster, although like everyone else I am still a student.

TC: Personal message to your viewers and fans?
JL: Some of the newer pieces I refer to in this interview are not on my website yet, but I will have them up soon.

Feel free to contact John Lannom for more information about his work and upcoming pieces. Personally, my favorites include "2265" because of the way the Chinese and American artistic styles are melded together so well and "Just One Way" because of the unique way the colors are used to bring out something brighter and more beautiful from the black on white words. So, check out his site and have a click around!