Tell me about Carina Creative, how long have you been in business? Is it a full service design studio?
Carina Creative began as a platform for me to advertise my illustration services. It has since grown to include my fine art work and my wife’s graphic design.
We’re currently working on showcasing our product design and photography services, so yes, we are definitely a full-service studio. Our website’s been up for about 4 years, and we’ve been involved in this work since graduating art school in 1995.

You work in both illustration and Fine Art; do you find one more enjoyable or easier than the other?  I would think you’d be more restricted in illustration because you’re being hired by someone to create a piece for a specific article or product, but sometimes restriction can make life easier. Sort of like the difference between writing fiction vs. non-fiction. Do you find this to be true?
Due to the nature of editorial illustration, I often times have little more than a few days to turn around a concept to a final painting. This sets up a lot of restrictions – efficiency of thought and motion being the biggest. I enjoy the motivating quality of working under these deadlines. I find my fine art to be a means to unload the rigors and learnings of the day-to-day and approach creativity more meditatively. I think fiction vs. non-fiction is a great analogy.

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Your fine arts portfolio features many pieces with birds in them, do you have an interest outside of your artwork in the area of ornithology?
I grew up near a large wooded lot that attracted so many birds to our yard: pheasants, wrens, orioles, hawks and the occasional turkey. It was set secretively within an urban setting, which gave it a private sanctuary feel. This was my introduction to a fascination with bird life and the outdoors. I wanted to know where they went in the winter and why some chose to stick around. I began counting species and haven’t stopped since.

Your Polaroid artwork is very unique, what’s your process for creating these? Are the photos taken and then the background painted over leaving the positive spaces to create the image?
Exactly. The paint is actually correction fluid – the technique evolved out of boredom at my job at the time and some random office supplies. These are the most spontaneous pieces as I don’t plan or sketch the composition. The faces in these are of friends, family and occasionally myself.

You’ve been included in several gallery shows, what has your experience been like working with art galleries? How is the fine art world different than that of commercial art world?
I’ve learned a lot about how people look at and choose art for themselves. I value the experience of listening (sometimes evesdropping) to gallery goers to see what turns them on emotionally – whether it’s color, size, subject matter, etc. The biggest difference is the lasting quality. What I mean is, the commercial art that I work in goes into magazines and has a shelf life. The illustrations add humor or some emotional value for the moment and that’s it. My fine art is much more involved and thoughtful. I want the viewer to really dwell on the work and get lost in the complexity and detail.

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Moving over to your illustration, it looks like you work in ink and watercolor? They’re really great – I love the sort of limited color palette and use of white space. Do you have an all time favorite illustration assignment? Who was your first really big client?
Thanks, watercolor is an unforgiving medium, but it forces me to commit to my first impulse. This keeps me honest. My favorite (and biggest) assignment was for National Geographic Kids – to provide progressive graphics of the fossilization process of dinosaurs. The final piece went into a teacher’s guide and was distributed to schools.

I’m curious how professional illustrators work – do you have a rep, self-market, both? I’ve noticed that like stock photography, Getty Images, for example, there are a few stock illustration sites on line. Do most illustrators participate in this kind of marketing? Do you have any positive or negative reactions to these venues? I had spoken to one illustrator who was very against them, but I can’t recall his reasons.
I’ve had a few reps over the years, and without sounding snooty, have outgrown them.
They taught me the fine art of marketing and sales, which I was able to implement on my own. I mail out postcards to a list of clients every thirty days in hopes of staying fresh in their minds. Providing different types of graphics every month showcases my flexibility. I also belong to theispot.com – a portfolio database for illustrators. It’s been a brilliant resource for me. The beauty of this site is that art directors can search by criteria such as medium, subject matter, etc, and get an accurate read of who does what well. From there,  they hire you and you collaborate together to create an illustration for them.

Your wife, Joanna, is a designer for a Minneapolis studio, but I imagine that the two of you collaborate on projects for Carina Creative – for example your website? 
Righto. Joanna designed and programmed the site. In addition, she helps me with the digital retouching and choosing of the right images for postcards. She’s also designed mailers and business cards for Carina Creative.

Tell me about your work relationship with Target – you design products for them? Do you work in a specific area, for example, say, ‘kitchen utensils’ or is it completely random? What products have you designed for them in the past and how did you go from a background in illustration to industrial design?
I recently left Target to go off on my own. I supported the Gardenplace category – designing products such as planters, patio furniture, decorative hardware and silk florals. I enjoyed the variety and the challenge of transferring my illustrative expertise to 3-D design solutions for so many categories. The last item I designed that sticks in my mind was a pink garden hose for Cynthia Rowley’s Summer program – in stores now.
My thought on going from illustration to industrial design was realized by my understanding that all things designed begin with a sketch – brain to paper.

Lastly, as a business owner, what do you find to be the most difficult part of your business? What have you found to be the most fulfilling?
Difficult: In general, marketing my brand amidst fierce competition.
Fulfilling: Downtime to go fishing.

Fine artist, illustrator and product designer Mike Carina has worked for Target, the Chicago Tribune and McMillan Publishing and exhibited his collage works at a number of fine art galleries.
With his wife, Joanna, a graphic designer, they form Carina Creative, a design office out of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

email: mike@carinacreative.com
To learn more about Carina Creative go to www.carinacreative.com

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