On August 7th (tomorrow!), the Autumn Society of Philadelphia will be hosting its first video game themed show, entitled "8-Bit and Beyond." Over 50 area artists will be presenting gaming themed art, from classic 80's titles to much more recent entries.

In the time leading up to the show, we'll be presenting a few selections and conducting short interviews with the artists, getting a better look at what gaming fans have to look forward to. This week, we talk to Jude Buffum, Eric Braddock and Alex Eckman-Lawn about their Mega Man and Mario art.

Give a little introduction to yourself.

 My name's Eric Braddock, I'm a realistic painter working with fantasy related subject matter.  Currently I'm living and working as a freelance illustrator out of South Jersey.  I spend most of my time in my studio painting, drawing, playing games, watching movies, researching, going to gallery openings, museums or going out on coffee runs.

What is the name of your piece and what medium was it done in?

The name of my piece is "Stage Select: Air Man"  based off of the NES video game Mega Man 2.  Oil on board 5x5"

Why did you choose the game you did for this piece?

Mega Man 2 has been and always will be one of my favorite video games of all time.  It's extremely nostalgic for me and one day I came up with the idea of doing realistic renditions of the boss profiles from the stage select screen.  This one is the first of that series.  (I probably should've started with Metal Man though, then Wood Man, etc..) *super nerdy boss order reference*

Did you play games growing up?

Some video games are symbolic of certain periods of time during my childhood.. so, yes.  I still play them, they just keep getting more and more impressive.  I also use many games as inspiration, whether it's an "Art of" book or just the game's visuals, they really do help spark some ideas fast and continue to feed my creative process.

Are you playing any video games right now?

I was playing Warcraft 3 earlier.. that's almost a daily for me, I've also played World of Warcraft off and on, but that game is the destroyer of lives.  I have far too much stuff to do to be able to play that game for hours and hours and hours, but I'm absolutely in love with the storyline.  I have a thing for all things epic.

Were there any other games/compositions you considered?

Hmm... this is a tough question.  My very FIRST instinct was to do a Final Fantasy II or Final Fantasy III painting and I would've loved to do a Shadow of the Colossus piece for the show but to do those games justice, it would need to be one of my larger paintings. (around 24x36")  I recently did a Triforce piece and considered doing an illustration based off of a really obscure game called The Immortal, it's about a Wizard and it's amazing.  Other than that, I would love to try my hand at one of the more mainstream games like Super Mario Bros just to see how it would turn out.

Do you think that games can be seen as art? Why?

Oh yes.  Have you seen Shadow of the Colossus and the upcoming "The Last Guardian" ?  If not, when you see them, you'll understand.  Those games are beyond beautiful.



Give a little introduction to yourself.

I graduated from the Tyler School of Art with a BFA in Graphic Design, and went on to teach design and typography courses there for about five years. During this time I was also a part of Headcase Design, where we designed a number of books for Broadway shows like "Wicked" and television shows like HBO's "Deadwood" and "The Sopranos". We also did a lot of illustration for publications such as the New York Times, Wired, and even Nintendo Power.I started my own studio about two years ago and these days I mostly stick to illustration and gallery art. I'm currently teaching in the Illustration department at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. (www.judebuffum.com)


Photo by Paul Miles: pauljamesmiles.com

What is the name of your piece and what medium was it done in?

It's titled "Mushroom Recession", and it was created digitally. The final piece was output 10" x 20" as a giclee print on archival artists canvas. It's an edition of 25.

Why did you choose the game you did for this piece?

I wanted to create an image that reflected the current state of the economy, so I looked at games that had some sort of monetary system as a component of the interface. I also wanted to highlight the character's desperation, but do so in a way that was somewhat light hearted and humorous. Whenever I use an existing game as the basis for a piece I like to push it to the next level and ask absurd questions like "Where do those bottomless pits actually go to?" Mario was a perfect fit for this concept, and is also more widely known than some of the others I could have chosen. Even though my work is inspired by games and my love of classic game imagery, I prefer it to be accessible to everyone, even if there are elements that only gamers would appreciate.

Did you play games growing up?

I've been playing them since the golden days of Atari and Colecovision, but I guess my interest really peaked during the NES and SNES days. I do make a point of playing each new Nintendo system, even if I only play four or five games during its life cycle. The classic 8-bit games really defined my childhood, and even though the games coming out now blow my mind in terms of graphics and story, they don't keep my interest the way a game like Megaman 2 (which to this day I play through at least once every six months) does.

Are you playing any video games right now?

My neighborhood bar has a game night on Sundays, so I'll usually play some Street Fighter IV or Wii Bowling there. At home, I've been playing Punch-Out for Wii. I actually play more games at friends' homes more than my own! My friend Sean keeps me in the loop whenever there's a more unusual game that's worth playing, like Little Big Planet or Pixeljunk Eden.

Were there any other games/compositions you considered? 

Nope!

Do you think that games can be seen as art? Why?

I prefer to define art as an experience one or more people have that is generated by something created by another person or group of people. This can be anything from a painting to a film to a banana souffle. So I certainly think games fall under this definition of art. Certainly some experiences, and therefore the art that causes them, are deeper and more awe-inspiring than others, but I don't think medium dictates this as much as the quality of the creation.I do think that, as a mode of creative expression, video games are still in their infancy. But the growing movement of indie games is a good sign that there are not only gamers that want richer gaming experiences, but developers who want to create them. And these developers are true artists by any definition I can think of.

Give a little introduction to yourself.

Hey, my name is Alex Eckman-Lawn and I'm a big metal/art/videogame nerd living in the Philadelphia area. I graduated from University of the Arts in 07 and have been tearing throats ever since.

What is the name of your piece and what medium was it done in?

My piece is called "The Road To Wily's Castle is Paved in Robot Masters" or "Murderman" and it was done with a combination of pencil and photoshop/collage.

Why did you choose the game you did for this piece?

Cause while megaman might not seem tough on the surface, what with the bright colors and cheerful looking robot badguys, it's hard as sin and requires a lot of cold blooded robot murder. so that's what my piece is all about.

Did you play games growing up?

Yes, but i got a little bit of a late start. my parents didn't let me play videogames until we visited a family friend when i was 9 or so and I played their NES. I remember, it was castlevania that did it. i was hooked and have been making up for lost time ever since.

Are you playing any video games right now?

I'm always playing street fighter. It's like we're married, this bond is for life, for better or worse. I'm not averse to a little rock band at parties either. just a social thing, i swear. i don't play alone or anything.

Were there any other games/compositions you considered?

god yes. I was tempted by Sonic, Panzer Dragoon, Bomberman, Shadow of the Colossus. I'm still considering doing a Pong piece...

Do you think that games can be seen as art? Why?

Well i think there's a lot of art that goes into making a game, so why not? It's certainly as much an art as television or movies. It's entertainment, so that makes people uneasy about calling it art or taking it seriously. I thought Andy Warhol taught us this lesson already. The Bottom line is games have unique styles, stories, color schemes, ideas, all the things that make good art. and if you're still not convinced, look at the frame by frame animation of Hugo from street fighter 3. so good.