Art and Design (BFA) major Mordue Reinhardt knew from a young age that he wanted a career creating artwork inspired by the fantastical and horror stories of his childhood. From watching his dad play video games like Final Fantasy, Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Japanese role-playing games to his admiration for H.P. Lovecraft and Guillermo del Toro, Reinhardt’s artistic style is rooted in blending beauty, discomfort and fear into unique narratives. After graduation, Reinhardt plans to continue his freelance work, become a video game concept artist and illustrator and seek out a publishing company for his newly created comic book series, Yoelmachus.
Why I Chose SUNY Oneonta and My Major
I love the wilderness. There's also something nice about being in central New York in the middle of a small college town. SUNY Oneonta seemed like a smaller, nicer environment where one could get more hands-on learning experience. Also, the art studios here are really nice, especially compared to a couple of universities in Buffalo that I'd looked at, which was a pleasant surprise!
I chose my major pretty much because I've always known I was going to do this for the rest of my life. I've been drawing since I was young.
Favorite Class?
My favorite class so far was Professor Dougherty's Drawing 2 class. I learned more in that class than I had from any other class, just because he's the kind of professor who will push you. No matter what skill level, there's always something you can get to next. He is very aware of that and doesn’t give up on his students.
Best Experiences at SUNY Oneonta?
I've made some of the best friends I've ever had here because that's the special thing about having such a small campus—people gel together more easily. You don't get lost. Everyone has been aware of their community in my classes and has wanted to help each other. Even for critiques, students are never malicious or anything. Nobody's trying to bring each other down. I keep saying this, but there's a great sense of community. And I do feel like that is hard to come by, especially now.
Yoelmachus Comic Book
“Yoelmachus” is going to be a series of issues like a traditional serialized comic. It is a fantasy horror, and I follow a Western art style, incorporating some elements of painting. There's a lot that went into that. It was a group project that originated from a tabletop game I ran with a few of my close friends, and I'm working on adapting it into a book format. And it is an adaptation, so it's not super true to the original game.
But as far as drawing, this is my first foray into this comic book world. This first book, “Yoelmachus: Columba Interfectorem” was my test run, my one-shot project from a certain scene from that story. It took me, I want to say, just figuring out the coloring and the lining and how I wanted to lay it out, probably three months. I figured I keep going back to comics time and time again in narrative art, so I might as well try to make it my career.
Exhibiting My Artwork
It's a little bit bizarre. Seeing my art up, people talking about my work is amazing. It's really cool. I wouldn't have passed up this opportunity for anything. I am deeply, deeply grateful for all of that.
I’ve come to realize that you can be part of a smaller artist bubble, and it's not just going to be you. You're talking to other artists in your particular niche. All you really have to do is have the strength to go out and talk to people about what you want to do and what you want to make and seek other people who also like things that you like. It's been bizarre, but so awesome, so great.
SUNY Oneonta Art and Design (BFA) major Mordue Reinhardt talks about the experiences he’s had as an art student, intern and the start of his career.
Internship in the Art Gallery
Working in the gallery has given me a look at the back end of stuff for the Art Department. It’s made me more comfortable with the faculty and how things operate. Making art and handling art are two different experiences, and I feel like when you're curating shows in the gallery and doing graphic design to advertise the gallery or help out with events, there's another level on top of that. You build community on top of being an artist, which is really cool.
You're an assistant to all of the little parts that go into putting shows together, doing graphic design for events and general art department events, not just for the gallery. You're researching pieces in the Art Gallery catalog that don't yet have names and other information. You also research a lot of things for grants, nonprofit organizations and galleries. Then there's another career focus for eventually getting a CV in line for a future career and knowing what galleries want if you plan on working in a curatorial space.
Advice for New Students
Make friends with your professors. Professionally, of course, but don't be afraid to talk to them. Nine times out of 10, all they want to do is help you. They want to see you succeed regardless, but as long as you show a genuine interest in what you're learning and put in an effort, that just brings things up to 10 for you. You'll gain incredible amounts of skill and knowledge just from participating in the college experience. You'll make friends, you'll get to be a part of a community, and you'll get a lot more opportunities that way.