Student artist profile: Sage Ivey

This is the first installment in our new effort to interview artists who are attending Mat-Su College. If you want to be featured, or can suggest a student to be featured, please reach out to us.

Monitor: Tell us a little bit about yourself!

Sage: I'll be 20 soon, I'm Athabaskan and Inupiaq (father is Athabaskan from the village called McGrath above the Kuskokwim river, and mother is half Inupiaq and white). I have two cats and a lot of internet friends for company.

Monitor: What kind of art do you make?

Sage: Digital cartoon art in my style, traditional pieces (in my cartoonish style or realistic; mainly my own style.) I have not made any still lifes, paintings, or realistic portraits for any non-academic reason. I also make indigenous jewelry (bone necklaces and earrings made with seed beads).

Monitor: What inspires you to do art? Are there any artists or art styles that've inspired you?

Sage: What mostly inspires me to do art is to keep my brain active. I don't want to feel unproductive. Artists that inspire me are Jamie Hewlett and musician Damon Albarn. Damon inspires me because he is addicted to creating his music and he has a lot of profound wisdom. Jamie inspires me because his art style (primarily of the 2000's) integrated into my art in a way when I was around 16 years old. Thirdly, I suppose Frederick Machetanz inspires me because he was so passionate about depicting indigenous Alaskans.

Monitor: Does your art have any themes or recurring elements?

Sage: Native Alaskan themes.

Monitor: What are your art goals, both short-term and long term?

Sage: Long-term: advance in every facet of my work (all jewelry, all drawing mediums, and painting). I imagine this will take the course of many years to advance in all.

Short-term: make another traditional art comic and make one digital piece, perhaps make a digital comic.