With such an eye catching release it was only fair we underlined one of our biggest and longest contributors here at Slashthree.

Saad Moosajee:
Greetings Erik, and congratulations on being the featured artist for slashTHREE's 14th Exhibition! Let's get started with a short "autobiography".

Erik Schumacher:
Ahoy Saad! My name is Erik Schumacher and I'm a student, currently studying Physics in Germany. In my free time I love to go crazy with Photoshop. It's what I spend a great deal of my free time with.

Saad Moosajee:
Interesting to hear! Exactly how did you get into the world of Photoshop and Digital Art while being a Physics Major?

Erik Schumacher:
I have always been a very creative person, so although I knew I was going for a career in science, I always had to create something in compensation for my daily work, which usually means eight to ten hours of boring math per day. I got an internship in a web design agency when I still went to school. At that time I first learned about Photoshop, but I forgot about it until 2005...

Saad Moosajee:
We can see from your submission "They Say It's The Apocalypse" that Sci-Fi is a part of your style, would you say that this has been influenced by your skills as a physicist?

Erik Schumacher:
I think my great interest in Sci-Fi was the reason for choosing my subject of study and not the other way round. I have always been fascinated by other worlds and genres. Physics is all about research and the future, so that was a clear choice for me. Also, as a physicist I know that most of the things you see in Sci-Fi art won't ever be possible, but I try to stay away from these rules, as they restrict the process of creativity.

Saad Moosajee:
Very interesting. Your other two submissions to this exhibition had a strong environment but could mainly be described as character illustrations, do you prefer to create pieces in this style more than a piece in the style of 'they say its the apocalypse'?

Erik Schumacher:
I like doing a variety of styles, it doesn't matter what the subject is because I'm happy about all concepts which come to my mind and which I'm able to pull off. Generally speaking I tend to prefer environmental illustrations, matte paintings and other sceneries. I have to base my character illustrations on stock images, so I rarely create this type of artwork. One of my main aims in the future will be to fully rely on my own photos; this is of course easier to achieve with landscapes, because usually I don't have the chance to shoot models.

Saad Moosajee:
Haha, well I'm sure we all wish we had the chance to regularly shoot with models. Could you give us a brief walkthrough from brainstorming to completed product of your piece "Tales Of The Hidden Orchid"?

Erik Schumacher:
It started with the idea to use blankets and sheets in crazy compositions, so I took my mother's cloths and made a few shots. I totally didn't picture the final result in my head in the first place. The image develops during the process of creation. I always try different things to achieve the best effect, so it can happen that I throw off the concept several times until I finally stick to one.

Saad Moosajee:
The illustration turned out fantastic considering you hadn't planned for it to come out that way. From the looks of it you utilized a Wacom tablet in the piece. Do you often use a tablet? How important do you feel they are in the field of digital arts?

Erik Schumacher:
I always work with a Wacom, actually I can't even think of using a mouse anymore. It just feels wrong in my hand. I even use the tablet for simple things like extracting photos from backgrounds or applying adjustment layers. Usually I paint all the lighting and details with my tablet, so you could say the image is completely over-painted. I also make extreme color adjustments to give my images this surreal illustrative feel. I want them to look like paintings rather than accurate photo manipulations.

Saad Moosajee:
they are definitely critical to the modern digital arts world aren't they. Now you mentioned giving your work an over-painted, surreal, illustrative feel. Do you sympathize with some of the artwork created during the Surrealist movement, and in general do you draw inspiration from traditional art?

Erik Schumacher:
When I read this question in other interviews I always wondered which artists I would mention here. I just have to be honest and say that I draw most of my inspiration from the modern digital arts. I hardly know anything about traditional art, although I do like the works of Giger. I love his dark and weirdly obscene images, which totally freak you out when you look at them. I love how he shocks people with his art.

Saad Moosajee:
I am also a bit of a Giger fan myself, I must say. You say modern digital art inspires you and so I have to ask, how do you feel about the incorporation of renowned digital artists and matte painters like Dylan Cole and Robert Stromberg in such movies as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland which are so well known for their visuals?

Erik Schumacher:
It's probably the dream of every matte painter to get the opportunity to get a job in the film industry. I have watched both movies and I must say the artists who worked on it did a fantastic job. I would be lying to say I wouldn't like to work as a matte painter in such a huge project, but that is still many, many levels above me. Although I don't plan to work in this field, it's still a great incentive to become as good as they are.

Saad Moosajee:
Moving onto a different topic now, let's talk about the theme of this exhibition: How did you approach 'Le Cirque Des Couleurs' and what did the theme mean to you on a personal level?

Erik Schumacher:
First thing that comes to your mind: Vibrant and crazy colors. However, what I love about the theme is that there's more to it actually. It's not just plain colors, it's also settled in an abnormal crazy circus setting. I find that very fitting because a circus can on the one hand be a form a pleasure, but on the other hand it is what people's nightmares are made of. You can either picture joyful and happy colors or you can go with the evil and crazy clowns. It's a theme for everyone. Looking back it seems I went with a mixture of both.

Saad Moosajee:
What would you say was your favorite piece from this exhibition?

Erik Schumacher:
I have many favorites in this exhibition because it shows a different side of slashTHREE, unlike the previous releases. I think my favorite is "Masque du Caprice" by Bechira. It strikes with beautiful and vibrant colors, but it is also very dark and inscrutable. Gloom is also an amazing artist. How could I dare to say his works aren't my favorites?!

Saad Moosajee:
Excellent choices! Gloom is certainly a genius, and "Masque du Caprice" is a fantastic submission. Anyway, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to complete this interview Erik, and once again congratulate you on being chosen as the Featured Artist for Exhibition 14! Have you any last words for the slashTHREE faithful?

Erik Schumacher:
I just want to say thanks for giving me this opportunity, and I hope that everyone enjoys my works and all the other great contributions to this exhibition.