Painter, illustrator, and comic book creator Aron Wiesenfeld (Death Brow/Wolverine, Y: The Last Man) is challenging a new narrative style with Kickstarter’s new crowdfunding campaign.
“I’m thinking of these little pictures like short stories. They are based on the inspiration I found in my daily life,” Wiesenfeld is quoted as saying in a press release. “My hope is for you to browse it on a rainy day and take inspiration again.”
Wiesenfeld is usually made from oiling and charcoal, and is skillfully combined with traditional techniques with distinct and contemporary subjects. He is best known for his impressive, large-scale paintings that convey dreamy essences, depicting lonely figures who often evoke feelings of melancholy, isolation and innocent loss.
Wiesenfeld’s inspiring artwork has adorned 15 solo exhibitions around the world, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Oslo, Amsterdam and Rome, and has won the acclaim of fans around the world, including Oscar-winning filmmaker Guilarmo Derlo and the iconic cartoonist.
Before establishing his position as a well-known oil painter, Wiesenfeld made his mark as a comic book artist and won an Eisner Award nomination for his work in Deathbrow/Wolverine in the 1997 Marvel Comic Limited series. His enchanting comic book cover played a key role in defining the atmosphere of the groundbreaking series Y: The Last Man written by Brian K. Vaughn.
Beat, caught up in Wiesenfeld, discusses the recently released Kickstarter for Playtime: The Post-it-It-Note Drawings, the challenge of “depicting the same things you want to see in a painting,” the challenge of using only 3×3-inch paper, depicting the liberation of working in a smaller medium, and his upcoming graphic novels.
Ollie Kaplan: I have previously stated that your painting inspiration often starts with moods inspired by a particular location (e.g., pathetic error, in which your subject’s atmosphere is usually in line with the mood of the transitional environment). How did you translate the depth of emotion seen in your oil painting into a post-it note?
Aron Wiesenfeld: My painting ideas are usually based on a real place or person. If I see something that catches my eye, what I usually do is to sketch the scene from memory. I’ll be a lot of these sketches. Many are more than you can use as a base for your painting. Post-it is extremely useful as it has become an outlet for those unused sketches. To your question, the challenge of using only inclines on 3×3 inch paper will be how to portray the same things you want to see in the painting, such as the character, story, mood, and atmosphere. Every line must have meaning. I have such a praise for the great cartoonist. That’s exactly what they do.
Kaplan: In your painting, you explore the concept of “the north”, which is often a phoric and timeless place. Can fans expect this concept to work for your little one (literally!) too? How do you approach storytelling within such a constrained medium?
Wiesenfeld: Regarding subject matter, I use the same theme as the painting. One thing I found is that it’s very free because of the low post IT time and the bar is low. It allows me to explore ideas that were not developed in the first place, but there were some kernels in them. I think we have to extend our ideas to a finished form in order to find the possibilities there, even if it’s just a small picture.
Kaplan: Since your artbook is titled Playtime, how does play help you grow as an artist and as a person?
Wiesenfeld: It’s fun when you don’t have to worry about finances, perfectionism, or anything else hanging in your work. The studio is where the outside world stops when I close the door. I give myself permission to enjoy there.
Kaplan: Conversely, can you explain in detail the limitations you set for yourself, using only black ink on yellow paper? How do these Post-it Note Drawings fit into the broader story of your artistic journey?
Wiesenfeld: I think it’s important that there are restrictions for any artwork. Unlimited time frames and unlimited budgets are disaster recipes. I think the Post-it drawings taught me that the most interesting artwork comes from doing everything you can with very limited means.
Kaplan: What do you want your fans to take away from playtime? Does work challenge or redefine the boundaries of traditional art forms?
Wiesenfeld: I had fun and was inspired. And my hope is that those who view the painting feel what I felt when I made them. For me it would be a huge success.
Kaplan: How did your comic book roots shape your art career?
Wiesenfeld: I was immersed in cartoons during my formative years. It certainly has been carried over to my paintings, but it is difficult for me to objectively judge how it happened. I’m too close to that.
Kaplan: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Wiesenfeld: In addition to this book, I also finish up the graphic novel. It will first be released in France at the end of the year and will be released in the US next year. The French title is “La Fuite.”
Check out the exclusive preview of Wiesenfeld’s Playtime beats below.
Starting today, Tuesday, June 24th, 2025, you can back Aron Wiesenfeld’s Playtime on Kickstarter. Follow Weisenfeld on X, Instagram and Facebook.
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