Life can be unsettling, especially for someone who is just emerging into the entrepreneurial art scene. The famed Art Center College of Design in Pasadena has had a long standing reputation for the kind of students it produces into the real world. Two artists stood out upon the college’s most recent graduation, and spoke of their hopes and dreams as they step into their new roles as artists that are no longer students of an institution, but now students of life.

Eric Nyquist is a soft spoken 24 year old who is a fourth generation resident of a small town in northern California called Turlock. He grew up on an orchard, spent time building classic cars with his father and was surrounded by simplicity. Looking at Eric’s intricate illustrations, typically done with pencil or ink on paper, it is evident that his upbringing plays a massive role in his creativity. Most of the reoccurring themes in his work somehow relate back to his foundation that began in Turlock. From a distance, his effort on paper may seem to be a blur, but upon a closer look, his pages are overcome by the most beautifully detailed images. The numerous lines and shapes are overwhelming to the eyes which leads to the question of who in the right state of mind can create such a detailed piece, all of which to Eric is a process most like building instead of drawing. He creates his work in a studio filled with loud music and films, making it hard to believe that such meticulous illustrations are actually born into a chaotic environment. Now that he has graduated, Eric faces the reality of his future. To some, this is a frightening ordeal, yet Eric, in a calm and collected manner, speaks of how he looks forward to what’s ahead, still thirsty to learn more and not to settle with just his illustrations. So could it be true, that his foundation and education have actually succeeded and produced a secure artist into the real world? Not tainted by the habitually cruel reality of the competitive art world, Eric looks ahead with simple hopes and dreams for his work to appear in galleries.

Nicholas Alan Cope, also a recent graduate of the Art Center, realized he wanted to be a photographer when he took some classes in high school and ended up spending all of his lunch breaks in the dark room. Born into a political family, the 23 year has had to prove to his academically oriented parents that photography is his calling. Originally from Washington DC, Nicholas has spent most of his recent time photographing the unfamiliar territories of Azusa and Monrovia. While many photographers gravitate toward the architecture of Down Town Los Angles and other legendary cities, as did Nicholas at first, he finds stoic and monumental beauty in places that are often over looked such as small scale churches, high schools, and government buildings. Cope's work also includes product photography with an intense presentation of the actual product. He often focuses on the patterns, as in the case with the Nike shoe, while the object remains to be complimented with complicated lighting. His bold photography captivates its viewers due to its minimalism and clean form. Most recently, he was hired by the infamous show ‘Entourage’ on HBO to shoot product and architecture shots for their upcoming book. “I’m happier now than ever because instead of having six clients, which were my teacher’s, I now have one and I don’t mind waking up a 4 am to shoot.” Nicholas’s new found liberation comes from many terms of hard work, yet without it, he claims that “I couldn’t have shot 6 locations in one day as I did for Entourage”. His hopes and dreams to be in galleries and museums are not far fetched, for the various methods of photography that he’s been taught have added to his innate confidence. He is an artist that knows his talent very well and is not afraid of his potential.

So it seems the new commercial world that awaits these artists is not at all an alarming notion, but simply the next step toward bigger and better things. These two twenty some year olds have a lucrative career to look forward to and are definitely the artists to purchase work from now before they’re snatched up by the galleries and impossible to afford. For more information about the artists, their work and prices, please visit Eric Nyquist at www.ericnyquist.com & Nicholas Alan Cope at www.cope1.com.

By Tenny Hovsepians