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QRD #49 - Christian Artists Interview Series
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Christian Artist Interviews:
Jamie Barnes
Alan Sparhawk
Jeremy Johnson
Joseph Kendrick
Scotty Irving
Joe Badon
Brian John Mitchell
Kirk Adam
Doug Tesnow
Bryce Eiman
Tara Vanflower
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Interview with Christian Comic Artist Jeremy Johnson
March 2011
Name: Jeremy Johnson
City: San Diego, California
Comics: Marked, Ultimate Lost Kisses
Websites: www.jsqred.blogspot.com

Jeremy Johnson

QRD – Do you try to keep your faith life & artistic life separate?

Jeremy – Yes. Art tends to offend & I try to separate fiction from reality.

QRD – When creating your art do you feel closer to God?

Jeremy – No. My art does not typically enlighten me spiritually.

QRD – How has your art helped you grow as a Christian?

Jeremy – My study of anatomy has me convinced that humans were designed & created by a higher power.

QRD – How has your art effected your faith?

Jeremy – My ability to discern between reality & fiction keeps my art from influencing my beliefs.

QRD – How are your faith & aesthetic ideas linked together?

Jeremy – My belief in good & bad, righteousness & wickedness is often linked with my art. I draw a lot of moody, dark, shadowy scenes so I rely on my inherent sinful nature to bring out a vision, which may not be entirely inline with who I am but what I imagine something vile or evil would be. 

QRD – What has been your experience being a Christian in an underground "artistic" community? Have you experienced any negativity towards yourself regarding your beliefs?

Jeremy – I have nothing factual to report on this subject. Nothing has been said to me directly so I would have to say I really don’t know.

QRD – How do you reconcile the idea of making “dark” art against the perception that Christians making art “should” be creating art of praise or trying to “save” people?

Jeremy – Art is an expression of a thought or feeling & sometimes people have wicked thoughts or feelings. They may not act on these if they are cognizant of them, however they may express them in a less destructive fashion such as art.

QRD – How do you feel about your work being shown with & for people who have a completely different set of beliefs than you do?

Jeremy – I have no positive or negative feelings about my art being shown with other’s who’s views differ from my own. I accept it.

QRD – What’s your take on artists that refer to themselves as Satanic or Pagan?

Jeremy – I accept it & laugh.

QRD – What do you think of Contemporary Christian Art?

Jeremy – I haven’t seen too much of it, however I’m sure there is some I would like & some I wouldn’t care for.

QRD – How did you become a Christian? Can you share your experience?

Jeremy – First my parents exposed me to the belief, then over time I found my own reasons for believing. I tend to be logical & analytical so through things like math anomalies of the Bible & the study of anatomy I’ve done I’ve concluded that we were created. As far as Jesus Christ is concerned I look to the number of different forms of Christianity today. Jesus Christ was more than a great man; otherwise I feel we would not have as many different forms of religion devoted to him. Something great & unique happened 2000 years ago & I believe it was the Son of Man walking, talking, performing miracles, & then being raised from the dead.

QRD – Name a scripture that has personal significance to you & why?

Jeremy – Matthew 4:1-11, this has a greater meaning then I think most people know. It teaches us about temptation, but I think through the passage of time we have lost in translation what is really going on here in this chapter. This is because the translations of the Bible have been & are by those who did not live during the writing & as such do not know for a fact what is really meant.

QRD – How has traditional religious art influenced your art?

Jeremy – I like the image of the cherub or the angel Gabriel. For me it represents both safety & protection as well as the coming judgment of man.

QRD – Would you like to be more involved with creating Christian art?

Jeremy – Not particularly.

QRD – Do you ever intentionally or unintentionally have Christian references in your work?

Jeremy – Yes. I’ll sometimes do things deliberately, but most often not.

QRD – How do fans & peers respond to first finding out you are a Christian?

Jeremy – I don’t think anyone is really paying that close attention to me at this stage...

QRD – How do you respond to people making statements like, “I thought you were too smart to be a Christian?”

Jeremy – If someone said that to me I would ask them to elaborate on their meaning.

QRD – How do you keep up your spiritual life with the erratic scheduling of an artistic life?

Jeremy – I don’t follow any particular spiritual rituals or attend any service, so it’s easy.

QRD – How has Christianity helped you with dealing with the stresses of working in the art industry?

Jeremy – I’ve come to the reality that nothing lasts forever & opportunities may come & go, but to not lose focus on what is really important in my life. My health, character,...

QRD – Has your faith ever hindered your career in anyway?

Jeremy – No.

QRD – Anything else?

Jeremy – Happy Easter!

Other QRD interviews with Jeremy Johnson:
Indie Comic Creator Interview Series with Jeremy Johnson (February 2011)