Get to know our Issue #7 "PERENNIAL" Visual Art Contributors!
- B222 Journal
- 6 days ago
- 7 min read
Gabriel’s Responses:
Hello readers! It's a few days before the release of Issue #7 Perennial. After fourteen weeks, we are happy to see and celebrate with our contributors during our launch on April 7th, 2026 at HMC Campus C-Wing 5th Floor from 5-8 PM.
Perennial Launch Party
Join us for an evening of food, fun and community to celebrate the launch of B222's seventh issue, Perennial.
If you want to read the journal, please click this link to check out the digitalized version of Perennial available soon. If you want to snag a copy for yourself and can't come to the launch, please send contact us at b222journal@gmail.com.
Tick tock! We are days away from our launch. During our busy preparation, we had the chance to interview our contributors and learn more about their pieces and their artistic process. Meet some of our Perennial visual art contributors below!
Eden Stewart
Eden Stewart is a Sheridan Industrial Design student from Waterdown, Ontario. Growing up, they enjoyed creative problem solving, which became the root of their passion for design. They follow an elegant design style, drawing inspiration from the Art Nouveau and Art Deco eras.
Being able to physically see and hold my designs gives great insight into how they might look and feel, and gives a great way to experiment with how scale might affect the user experience.
Question 1: How has been your experience working with B222?
Working with B222 has been wonderful. Everyone I have spoken to has been lovely and I can tell how much they all enjoy their work. They have been very accommodating for end of semester stress as well which has been very much appreciated!
Question 2: What motivates or inspires you to create (such as artistic influences, trends, movements)?
For me, the Art Nouveau and Art Deco design movements really inspire my work. I love the visual design elements from these eras and I love incorporating inspiration from them into my work. In terms of specific designers, Enzo Mari is one that I did a research report on recently, and I find him and his work quite fascinating. His anti consumerism stance and his aim to create sustainability through longevity in his work has inspired me to try to do the same. I think designing things to last longer is a great thing that has unfortunately been lost in recent times.
Question 3: When creating art, what element do you enjoy working with most (I.e. material, colours, texture, etc.)? Why?
My favourite part of my design process is iterative model making. I get the most enjoyment out of modelling and prototyping. I have fun making models to test different ideas, and the information I get out of it is some of the most valuable throughout the ideation phase. Being able to physically see and hold my designs gives great insight into how they might look and feel, and gives a great way to experiment with how scale might affect the user experience. Making models that you can hold and feel can communicate scale and texture much better than drawing or CAD can, and really helps inform my design choices.
Sam "Yung_Lich" Morningstar
Sam “Yung_Lich” Morningstar (they/he) is a non-binary multimedia artist. Their practice is ever changing and very spur of the moment. They are heavily inspired by their emotions and the songs that they are currently listening to.
‘i just want to put professional sad boy.’
My motivation to create is very spur of the moment, I usually have a camera on me or–god forbid–my phone.
Question 1: How has been your experience working with B222?
My experience working with B222 has been excellent. The people I have interacted with have been very enthusiastic, you can tell that they really love what they are doing with the magazine. I haven’t had an issue that I needed clarity on but, one of my fellow contributors did and the fine folks on the editorial team got back to them quickly and everything resolved smoothly.
Question 2: What motivates or inspires you to create (such as artistic influences, trends, movements)?
My motivation to create is very spur of the moment, I usually have a camera on me or–god forbid–my phone. So, I take a photo of whatever catches my eye. Or, what the song I am listening to at the time tells me to take. Basically, my work is more instinct based than inspired by a specific thing. I shoot mostly street photography and gravestones because I am forever a goth kid. My artistic influences are mainly films. I try to imitate scene framing from some of my favorite movies or the style of directors like Wes Anderson, or other directors with a distinct style.
Question 3: Are there any specific thoughts or emotions driving your piece?
What drives my piece is a little embarrassing, it’s the death of a childhood celebrity crushes. Michelle Trachtenberg passed away last year around this time, she played Dawn on Buffy the Vampire Slayer when she was a teen. Buffy is one of my favorite shows and is a huge inspiration for me in both writing and photography. So, her death hit me hard and was one of those moments of inspiration. Buffy is also one of the main inspirations for my grave photography. Half the show takes place in graveyards and I love to try and imitate the establishing shots in those parts of the show. So I took the initial sadness I felt at her passing and tried to make a piece that shows hope.
Klara Kim
Klara Kim is a first-year Animation student, taking inspiration from life to weave new stories. She especially enjoys illustrating seemingly ordinary but precious scenes.
I believe that places that are built from scratch with family as foundation can't help but store warmth in every nook and cranny. In order to showcase that I forced myself to slow down and find comfort in the process.
Question 1: How was working with the team?
Nothing short of a smooth ride, working with B222 has been a lovely process. The idea of partaking in a published work sounded intimidating at first but the B222 team has provided a professional and clear welcome!
Question 2: What motivates or inspires you to create (such as artistic influences, trends, movements)?
Recently it's been Russian folklore illustrations, specifically by Ivan Bilibin. I love the outlined elements, pattern work and easy on the eyes color palettes.
Question 3: Are there any specific thoughts or emotions driving your piece?
While I'm ethnically Korean, I spent the majority of my childhood in Kazakhstan as one of the later generations of Koryo-Saram. During my time in school, I learned about the traditional Kazakh nomad life in the mountain fields. My illustration is the indoor layout of a yurt, a circular dwelling assembled with wood, felt and braided with ropes, with the inside decorated with beautiful hand-crafted carpets. I believe that places that are built from scratch with family as foundation can't help but store warmth in every nook and cranny. In order to showcase that I forced myself to slow down and find comfort in the process. That's why this illustration hits close to home, both culturally and emotionally.
Julia Sobiesiak
Julia Sobiesiak is a twenty-two-year-old multi-disciplinary artist, currently attending Sheridan College for Illustration. Her work is informed by texture, light, sound, and a bit of play. Holistically, she weaves together elements from every medium indulged—each experience providing instruments for exploring new worlds!
I’ve always been drawn to unconventional experimentation in art, and collage allows me to mix countless ideas into one piece.
Question 1: How has your experience been working with B222?
The B222 team has been nothing but professional! Everyone has been very communicative and organized, which is always a treat. I wasn’t expecting so many opportunities (ex. The gallery and art market)— as an artist, I very much appreciate them, as it gives us a more hands-on role and chances for in-person connections.
Questions 2: Are there any specific thoughts or emotions driving your piece?
Sprouts was an artistic experiment. At the moment, I’m constantly exploring unfamiliar techniques and media. I’ve always been drawn to unconventional experimentation in art, and collage allows me to mix countless ideas into one piece. Reflected in the imagery, I wanted to capture themes of metamorphosis. The plants growing from the subjects' backs are both intriguing and somewhat alarming—losing control of one’s body is scary. Similarly, the lack of control one gets with experimentation is alarming, yet endlessly rewarding when it works.
Question 3: When creating art, what element do you enjoy working with most (i.e. material, colours, texture, etc.)? Why?
I adore exploring new textures! I’ve recently come to terms with being more of a sensation-based artist than a narrative one. Art is a very tactile experience for me—I want to feel a piece just by looking at it. When working with the Japanese fine art papers used in Sprouts, I had a blast. I could spend hours getting lost, exploring new ways to use them.
Bryce Teakle
Bryce Teakle is a Sheridan student pursuing a Bachelor of Illustration. His art is often rooted in his enjoyment of creating paleo art, which centers on depicting prehistoric life according to science. His work in recreating such scenes is driven by his fascination with the mysteries of deep history.
It’s a lot of guess work reinforced by looking at research presented by scientists which is why I enjoy it so much. I learn about our world while I make art.
Question 1: How has your experience been working with B222?
When it comes to art. The ability to create an image of my own visual stories from my mind onto physical mediums for others to see is such a cool thing to be able to do as humans. And its that creativity in our collective nature I like to explore. I love learning about nature and the science of our world and being able to create visual references for others to see and for my own pleasure is always what captivates me.
Question 2: When creating art, what element do you enjoy working with most (i.e. material, colours, texture, etc.)? Why?
Researching topics in deep time is something I enjoy a lot. Before I start a project related to paleontology or just scientific illustration, I need to understand what it is I’m going to be depicting and therefore I need to have a basic level of knowledge of the subject matter I want to make art of. If something like some form of prehistoric fossil animal is niche or doesn’t have a lot of art or media presence, it usually means that I have lot of comparisons to other subjects related to it, and understand how animals related or similar to it work in order to create a plan on how to depict them. It’s a lot of guess work reinforced by looking at research presented by scientists which is why I enjoy it so much. I learn about our world while I make art.
Check out our other interviews with our Issue #7 Literary contributors!
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