MEET THE ARTISTS:
Meryl Rowin
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP: Long Island, New York
WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME INTERESTED IN ILLUSTRATION: As a kid I was always writing stories with titles like Trapped in the TV and The Ride to Planet Unknown and illustrating them. I also spent a ton of time with my grandparents, sitting around their kitchen table while my grandpa drew cartoons and characters. I’d draw women in all types of outfits and tableaus of whatever was on the table. I did a lot of drawings of Tropicana orange juice. In high school I met a local illustrator, Jeff Fisher, who led these raucous figure drawing classes that were so much fun. That’s when I started really taking illustration seriously as a passion and knew I wanted to go to art school to work at it.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIECE THAT YOU’VE CREATED: I love the set of animated portraits I made of Hillary Clinton for Glamour’s Women of the Year Awards in 2016. They were used as the background during a staged tribute, then printed and gifted to her personally.
IF YOU WEREN'T AN ARTIST WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING INSTEAD: Professional dog companion.
WHAT SONG GETS STUCK IN YOUR HEAD MOST OFTEN: Tina Turner’s, “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
WHAT IS YOUR SPIRIT ANIMAL: Spiritanimal.info says “Owl,” but I’m going to say Rick Moranis (I recognize he’s a human being, I just like his whole deal).
IF YOU COULD ONLY EAT ONE FOOD FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE: Giant sprinkle cookies.
WHAT IS THE ONE ITEM OF CLOTHING THAT YOU WEAR MOST OFTEN: Underwear. I obsessively have this one brand in all colors of the rainbow that is sheer but comfy and never causes any VPL (visible panty line) problems.
WHAT WOULD THE TITLE OF YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY BE: "Ah, I Know I Had a Better Name for This"
WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU LAUGHED SO HARD IT HURT: PG13 answer! I was taking a shower with my husband, (then boyfriend), and he was singing a rendition of Deee-Lite’s “Groove is in the Heart,” where he kept saying “Right?” after each line in the chorus in this weird little nasal voice. I was laughing so hard that I doubled over in pain. I guess you had to be there. But you would have been naked and wet if you were.
WHAT IS YOUR SECRET TALENT: I can identify a lot of flavors. I am also a very good 90’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah-level dancer.
WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO DANCE MOVE: Perfect lead in! I just go with what feels RIGHT.
WHAT IS THE STRANGEST THING IN YOUR REFRIGERATOR: Pleasingly, a quart of Matzah ball soup from Katz’s Deli in NY that was shipped to me in Los Angeles.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WAY TO UNWIND AFTER A BUSY DAY: Bath and some chamomile lavender tea.
