22 year old Justin Aerni was born in Arizona, and raised in Spokane, Washington. His fans describe his work as outsider, graffiti, raw, surreal and horrific.
Zazzle: Tell us a little about your work.
Justinaerni: Most of my fans would describe or categorize my work as: Outsider, Graffiti, Raw, Surreal and or Horror art. As far as my work itself It is apart of me and is always running through my head.
Z: Tell us a little about yourself.
J: I am 22 years old and have been creating art all of my life. I am a shy guy almost to the point of being autistic. I am obsessed with what I call “My Death Clock” which I think of as a clock on my forehead telling the exact time of which I am going to die. This influences my work from time to time and always drives me to work harder and harder.
Z: How did you get started in art?
J: My Grandpa Westleigh Correll who was also an artist had a lot to do with it. He was always showing me what he learned and mentoring me at a very young age.
Z: Where do you get your inspiration from?
J: Most of my inspiration comes from my own emotions, thoughts, dreams, paranoia and fears. This is why each piece that I create I think of it as one of my own children.
Z: How long does it take you to create one of your pieces?
J: I would have to say between ten minutes to two weeks depending on how powerful or clear the idea is in my head. I feel like some ideas in a way force themselves out of me and I have to stop whatever I am doing and create them.
Z: What other interests do you have besides art?
J: My Wife Jennie, horror movies, cartoons, technology, robots, swimming.
Z: Where do you design your work? Spare Room, Garage, Outside?
J: I have a studio room in my apartment. The walls are covered in paint and graffiti. People seeing my studio for the first time would describe it as pure chaos but I see order in it somehow.
Z: Who are some of your favorite Zazzle contributors?
J: kittytrishia, arteologist23, RAWdesigns, to name a few.
Z: What advice do you have to new Zazzle Contributors?
J: Always try to come up with something unique and original as you can. Always try to make something no one has ever seen before.
Z: What can we expect from you in the future?
J: In the not so distant future I plan to create scary children’s books and make graphic novels. I just have to find the right publisher. This is an invitation to any publishers out there by the way ;) . You can always expect my art to progress as time goes on as well. In the distant future I would like to direct movies while at the same time continue to do my art.
Z: PC or Mac?
J: I think a PC would win in a fist fight.
Z: Chuck Norris or Jean-Claude Van Damme?
J: Chuck Norris because if I said Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck would summon his old teacher Bruce Lee up from the dead to assassinate me.
