GVN Talking Comics Interview: Creator Ray Troll For ‘Spawn Till You Die – The Fin Art Of Ray Troll’

If there is something I can appreciate in art it is attention to detail. Most of my favorite comic book artists are those whose work tends to be precise and as detailed as possible. Artists like Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, the late John Buscema and Neal Adams and many others. Another artist who fits into that mold is Ray Troll. For more than four decades, the celebrated Alaskan artist has been captivating fans around the world with his mesmerizing and detailed renditions of the inhabitants of lakes, rivers and the whole of Planet Ocean.

Now, Clover Press is bringing the art of Ray Troll to the masses with a collection entitled: Spawn Till You Die: The Fin Art of Ray Troll. This beautifully bound book has just started its Kickstarter campaign and will be available along with many extras capturing the artists many unique works. Recently, we sat down with Ray to discuss his beginnings, his life as a military kid, and his fascination with art and the research involved in doing it. So, let’s welcome the talented Ray Troll to GVN Talking Comics.

GVN: Thank you so much for giving us a bit of your time, Ray. Since this is our first opportunity to chat, let’s start with a bit of your beginnings. You graduated from Wichita Heights HS in the great state of Kansas. Did you have a love of art back then and was fish and wildlife your focus at that time or did that come later?

RT: Yep, I graduated from high school way back in the Pleistocene epoch in 1972. I’m from a big family of Air Force brats that moved every few years, so Kansas was only one of the places I grew up along with my five siblings. We also lived in New York, Japan, Puerto Rico, Alabama, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Drawing was my superpower, so I’d happily squirreled myself away in my room spending endless hours drawing dinosaurs, mammoths, historic battle scenes and tons of airplanes.

GVN: Ahh, the nomadic life of the military child. So, when did you decide to make Alaska your home and what about living there inspires your work?

RT: I actually started out in Corning, New York where there’s a big glass center, and the list of residences goes on from there. So, my siblings and I had many ‘homes’ to choose from. Many service brats will know what I mean. That nomadic lifestyle can be tough on kids, being uprooted every few years and having to leave your friends. But it can also be good for one too, since you’re always off on a new adventure and having to make new friends. So we found our homes as we grew older. Of the six kids, four of us ended up in this magical place called Alaska. That says something. I found my home and my community up here on a beautiful island on the coast of the North Pacific.

GVN: One only needs to look at your art to see the detail you put into each piece. Has that attention been a constant tool in your artistic arsenal, or did you develop it over time and study?

RT: They say, “the devil is in the details”, so maybe that’s why I’m drawn to it. 😊 I can’t really say exactly why I love detail. I tend to get lost in the process of drawing when I’m in the creative, relaxing flow of creating something. I love looking at super complex paintings or drawings and discovering new things every time I look at them. For instance, I never tire of looking at Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings or Dürer’s complex engravings or an old copy of Mad magazine or Robert William’s insanely complex paintings.

GVN: That answer speaks to your vast diversity. Not many people compare Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings with the art found in Mad Magazine. (Although I can certainly appreciate the work of Mort Drucker and Sam Viviano). Your extensive study habit is evident. Speaking of study, how important was it for you to learn about and study the subjects of your art?

RT: I think I’ve always been half a scientist all along and have always wanted to portray things as ‘correctly’ as I can. I geek out on a topic and dive way into learning as much as possible about it. I’m drawn to the weird and the ultra-strange that occur in the natural world. Sometime my subjects are so unbelievable I want to make them believable with accurate observations. One way to look at is why do we need to imagine monsters when they’ve been around us in real life forever? They’re lurking down in the deep dark sea and hidden away in caves. And when you dive into the wonders of the prehistoric past your mind is blown with all the weirdos that have ever lived on this fantastic planet.

GVN: As much time as that kind of detail most likely takes, did you ever feel you might not need to be as precise or was that never an option for you? I am admittedly “anal” about my art and how it looks. So, I appreciate your efforts to capture things as they should be.

RT: Well, I’ve gotta say that research is more than half of what I do. I go so deeply into a topic that I’m inspired by, that I wanna get things right when I sit down to draw. The drawing process is almost meditative, falling into that dreamlike trance state of “the flow”. But in my studio I’m surrounded by reference material, pickled specimens in jars, skulls, photographs, books galore, old xeroxes and file cabinets. It’s a bit like a mad scientist’s lab. Science fuels my art and my creativity.

GVN: That doesn’t make you too much different than most artists. Many of which keep things in their studios to inspire them or just because they think their cool. Another integral part of your art is your wicked sense of humor. As you work on such pieces, does the “joke” come first or does it develop as you work on a drawing?

RT: It’s hard to say. It can happen either way. Sometimes an image will pop into my head, and I simply have to draw it. I’ll look at it and a phrase will occur to me that seems funny or absurd. If I laugh out loud that’s a good sign. For instance, not too long ago I drew a sad looking flounder that just looked so pathetic. It seemed to be saying “Hey man, things can always be worse”. It worked for whatever reason.

But most of the time I’m just a shameless punster. I love word play, so I’m always listening for a turn of phrase that seems to say it all. Pairing an image with a slogan of some sort is like trying to find just the right words for a chorus in a song. Something that sticks like “I can’t get no satisfaction”.

GVN: You are working with the good folks at Clover Press for your new art book: SPAWN TILL YOU DIE: THE FIN ART OF RAY TROLL. All leading to a Kickstarter campaign to fund this exciting project. How did your collaboration with Clover Press come about and were you familiar with Kickstarter going in?

RT: I have a scientist friend that knows artist Pete Von Shully whose work just blows me away. It turns out that Pete was a fan of my art. I was lucky enough to get a copy of Pete’s History of Monsters book published by Clover Press. I checked out their other titles and really liked what I saw. I’m a superfan of Ricardo Delgado’s work and he too has worked with Clover Press. I called Robbie Robertson out of the blue, we ‘clicked’ and the rest is history. It didn’t hurt that Robbie is also a fishing freak like me. Kickstarters are a whole new thing for this old boomer but I’m really enjoying the ride.

GVN: I hear you on Ricardo Delgado’s work. I actually talked to him in advance of his recent Dracula book. So, once the campaign kicks off, what will fans find if they go to your Kickstarter…besides the opportunity to “hook and land” a great art book?

RT: Ha! Now you’re indulging in PUN-ishment too. It’s exciting for me to see things in the Kickstarter program like tier levels with puzzles, beautiful dust jackets, cool postcards, and some of my original pencil sketches.

GVN: Thank you again Ray. Before I let you go, I have one more question for you. You have won many awards from folks in the art and scientific community for your work and the support you have given them. (You’ve had a fish named after you, for goodness’ sake [ a ratfish called Hydrolagus trolli]. Is there any one honor that you treasure most or best exemplifies the art and work you have done?

RT: Having a species named for you is quite the honor. I’m not sure I can top that one. That poor fish will forever bear my family’s name. But being awarded a joint Guggenheim Fellowship with Kirk Johnson, my paleontologist friend, is an accomplishment that I’ll always treasure.

The Kickstarter campaign for ‘Spawn Till You Die: The Fin Art of Ray Troll‘ by Clover Press is underway. You can check out all the goodies available at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cloverpressart/ray-troll-art-of-the-oceans-humor-paleontology-and-fish?ref=9r440w