From the slightly spooky world where a young girl must find her way to defeat her never ending dream, Nathan Jurevicius’s Spooky Girl has come to Kidrobot.com. Releasing the limited edition Blister the Octopus Medium Art Figure, Kidrobot also took some time to ask Nathan a few questions about himself and his work…
How long have you been doing Art?
– I come from a family of artists so from a young age I was always surrounded by sculptures and paintings. At 6 I remember being placed on the sidewalk with drawings I had made for 20 cents each. One of the pieces was called ‘Woman with a fly on her nose in a phone booth’. I studied art throughout high school and university and professionally was working for clients during my Uni days for an Australian publisher.
What was your first production piece with KIDROBOT?
– In 2005/2006 I was working on the Scarygirl CityFolk mini series with Kidrobot. These were released in 2007. In the early days of Kidrobot when I was collaborating with Flying Cat in Hong Kong there was a brief moment when we were trying to help on the production of the original Dunny.
What kind of movies/books influenced you as a child?
– Roald Dahl novels, Fighting Fantasy role playing game books by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, Film like The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and the Wizard of Oz were also big influences.
Your artistic tone seems to be dreamlike but also slightly dark. Have you always had a connection with darker themes?
– Growing up my siblings and I were taught to embrace/listen those who were lost in some capacity or going through difficult times. We learnt a lot about strength being made perfect in our weakness and understanding that our very nature is both dark and light.
What are three words you would use to describe your artistic style?
– Psychedelic thoughtful mythology
Tell us a little more about how Scary Girl came to be. Did she start as a sketch in a notebook? An imaginary friend?
– I actually did have an imaginary friend named Andrew for many years. My parents would often set the table for him but he didn’t look like Scarygirl.
Scarygirl came about initially as an online game concept for a government agency in Australia based on an editorial illustration I’d completed a year before.
The concept never happened but I continued to create illustrations for magazines/online multimedia productions. Her personality and true name (Arkie) come from
my daughter (who’s 16).
Was a video game always part of the plan?
– Yes, she was always meant to be a video game but when that was put on hold around 2000/2001 she morphed into an online comic and a big collection of
collector toys. Since that time I’ve developed with Passion Pictures a multi-level Scarygirl Flash game, an Xbox/Playstation game and currently in production on a major
free-roam VR game based on the property.
Why did you choose an octopus for the character of wisdom/father figure?
– The backstory about Blister is he actually shares part of Scarygirl’s DNA so has this affinity to her instantly when he finds her washed up on his secluded shoreline. He’s also a multitasker with the ability to change ‘hats’ whenever required. There’s a bit of myself in him too.
What is your favorite thing about Blister the Octopus?
– His hat and moustache
What’s the Art scene like in Australia?
– Though I’ve been out of Australia for the past 14 years (living in Toronto, Canada) I’ve kept having shows in Australia at my Gallery there (Outre Gallery). I find there’s a strong scene in Melbourne where I spend most of my time.
What is your key advice to those looking to make it as an artist or follow their dreams?
– You really have to love what you do. The rewards can be great but not necessarily in a financial way.
What’s your favorite quote?
– “Not all those who wander are lost”
What’s something that your fans might not know about you?
– I do reflexology
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