Interview with Jan Torkanen

Creative Source Magazine - Feb. 2004 (reprinted by permission)

 

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Jan Torkanen - I think we should start at the beginning. Tell me about your early days.

 

Ace Layton - I was born in Ft. Worth, Texas. We lived in a very cool house at the top of a hill that overlooked a large park that began and ended all within the length of our block. It was a kind of private playground for all the kids of that block, which was so much fun. My Dad worked as an aeronautical engineer at General Dynamics and my Mom was working as an executive secretary and taking a course through IBM to become a Systems Analyst, which she eventually achieved. I spent my days out of school glued to my bicycle seat - venturing miles from home on explorations of the rapidly growing community. It was such a different era we lived in, then.

Do you think your parents' technically oriented jobs influenced your outlook about Sci-fi and Fantasy?

Definitely! My Dad was always creating toy robots and communicators and other fantastic toys for me to play with. One Christmas he built a large, two story A-frame styled fort in our backyard that he called "The Space Platform". On weekends we would spend hours going to army surplus and military-oriented salvage yards looking for parts and pieces for new creations. And my Mom always had a very logical mind and way of looking at things with a fresh perspective. They have both been a strong influence in my life.

So your father was an inventor?

Well, he was a bit of an inventor at home, but he was more of a tinkerer and explorer of ideas. I think he did most of his actual inventing at his job as a design engineer.

Did you like going to school?

School was fun. I wasn't particularly popular, but I had my share of friends. Happiness at school depended on whether or not I had my homework ready!

I understand you moved a lot when you were growing up?

We moved 5 times in 7 years, but it all happened from the middle of elementary school through the middle of high school which were such important years. I have lived or had extended visits to the Hollywood area of LA, to the remote mountains of Kennesaw, Ga, to Seattle, Arkansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Highland Park (a community in Dallas), and all across the southern US, with several excursions into Canada and Mexico.

You must have experienced some interesting culture shock living in these diverse locales?

The biggest culture shock I experienced was moving from the affluent sophistication of Highland Park to the rural sticks of far northwest Houston. It was like going back in time, where rock and roll was just a rumor - not a lifestyle. I met a lot of great people everywhere I lived or stayed, but there were always a few oddballs - which looking back, made the whole experience interesting.

So you eventually got into the music scene at one point?

Yes, in the middle of my freshman year of High School I started plucking around on a bass guitar with some neighborhood kids and eventually met some guys who were taking their musical interests a bit more seriously. Before I knew it, we formed a band and started playing at parties and school dances and such. Unfortunately I had a major setback right at the start when I ground up the very tips of two of my fingers on my left hand in a wood shop accident. The recovery was slow, but I was determined!

Is this the point where the infamous Yesmobile appeared?

(Laughs) Well, yes it is. The story behind all that was that when I was 15 my Dad gave me an old '62 Falcon Stationwagon. The good news was that I had room in it to haul my bass rig around. The bad news was "It's a STATIONWAGON!" And because all my hard-earned cash was going into music equipment, I couldn't afford to replace it with something cool. So to make it less embarrassing to be seen in, I painted a large logo of my favorite band of the day (Yes) on the doors and a smaller logo on the rear gate. Everyone fell in love with the ol' wreck and everywhere I went people would wave and yell something positive about the whole idea. It was really one of the first Art Cars in my neck of the woods, and it was a lot of fun!

What kind of music were you playing in those days?

We were just covering the hits of the day - Allman Bros, Santana, Chicago, etc. But everyone in the band was greatly influenced by the newly emerging progressive rock sounds of groups like ELP, Yes, Genesis, etc., and we soon began adding some of their songs to our sets. In fact, our love of this genre quickly advanced our musical abilities and we all became quite accomplished while still in our mid to late teens. Before long we met up with a couple of older musicians who had top booking agents and we began playing in some of the better clubs in town, even though most of us were under 18 and couldn't legally enter these clubs.

So you were playing the hits of the day?

We threw a few progressive rock songs into those sets, but at that time we were mostly playing Top 40 covers. We were heavily booked and the money was good so we played what worked for the band. Privately each of us were doing plenty of session work and making a bit of a name for ourselves around town playing more challenging music. I would eventually find myself working with artists like Eric Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughn, BJ Thomas band, Lisa Hartman, Alan Haynes, ZZ Top and Bill Ham's Lone Wolf Productions, Virgin Records, etc. I would get calls from across the country from bands who had heard of my nibble bass guitar playing (I'm not really sure how they heard) asking me to fly out and play with them, even some international acts such as Judas Priest, Point Blank and others called. It was a wild time!

So you're recording as well as playing in clubs?

Yes, I was working in the recording studio so much that I ended up taking a course in recording and production at the Musician's Recording Studios with Bill Wade. This lead to me working between bands as a recording engineer and producer, as well as a musician and songwriter. I also began working as a concert sound engineer and mixed many large music festivals, but there wasn't enough work to provide a decent, stable living in Houston, at least from my perspective.

How many bands were you involved with?

I "sat in" or recorded with scores of bands and artists, but the bands I was a true member of were Sleuth, Amerroda, Metropalace, Courier, Xenovox and Futura Blue. There were a few others, but these were the bands of any note.

So are you studying art through all this?

Not really. I always dabbled in art and I created the logos and related illustrative materials for most of these bands, but music was my main focus at that time, and I took it very seriously.

Do you have formal training in art?

I have studied art at the Kimball Museum and the Museum of Natural Science in Ft. Worth, University of Houston, North Harris County College, and earned a technical degree in design at Industrial Design in Houston. When I graduated from Industrial Design I began working as an oceanographic and geophysical draftsman at Teledyne Exploration. It didn't take long for me to realize that the drudgery of drafting was not the road for me, so it was time to return to college.

How did you find returning to college at a later point in your life?

I really enjoyed the experience! I learned to write and arrange music in a more sophisticated manner. I also learned I had some talent in writing literature, not just lyrics. But the big discovery was that now I saw the world of art as a possible career path, which had escaped my attention all these years. And this was when I met my wife, in a Music Composition and Theory class. She was a singer on a voice scholarship. We formed a band, Courier, and along with a school performance band we played all across Texas at clubs, schools and county fairs - even at the Governor's Ball.

Then, right out of college I found work as a computer animation programmer and artist with Visual Broadcast Systems (one of the largest networks of electronic display systems in the U.S.) who provided the graphics and animation for those large animated electronic signs, like those in stadiums and at large amusement parks.

Was this your first exposure to computers?

No, I had been using small home computers with my film and video equipment to make short films and movies since the late 70's. But these new computers were dedicated minicomputers with video digitizers that could create some really wonderful animated effects. I loved the work and learned a tremendous amount about computers, art, and animation. I was soon promoted to head programming artist.

Where did this knowledge of computers and art take you?

When VBS decided to move their headquarters out of state, I began working as the in-house Graphic Designer for Palantir Software, Inc. (one of the first third-party developers for Microsoft Windows) where I designed product packaging, magazine ads, software manuals, and tradeshow exhibits. This led to my involvement with JP&A Advertising, where I began employment as a Graphic Artist and was eventually promoted to Art Director.

While working at JP&A designing logos, brochures, annual reports, and ad campaigns for several Fortune 500 corporations, the company president became interested in my prior film (super 8mm & 16mm), video, and sound recording projects. Soon, I was given the responsibility of writing, producing and directing a few local broadcast TV commercials.

So now your back in recording studios again?

I found working in video studios a natural. My past work in audio recording was invaluable in the video editing suite. I eventually went on to direct and produce many more local TV commercials and local music videos on my own.

When JP&A dissolved in 1995, I formed my own company - Ace Layton Illustration & Design to pursue my real passion of digital illustration and graphic design.

Who or what are your artistic influences today?

My artistic influences are the same today as they were yesterday - illustrators like Roger Dean, Frank Frazetta, Maxfield Parrish, Brad Holland, Boris Vallejo, and the list goes on and on. Even though my style may not always reflect these influences, it's these artists' work that stirs my imagination and fuels my creativity.

Where do you stand on this long journey today?

I currently live in far northwest Houston, Texas with my loving, graphic designer wife of 25+ years and our energetic, young son - both of whom are the true inspiration in my life.

Professionally, I am thrilled to be actively involved with my company providing digital art and illustration to local clients as well as client all over the world through the Internet.

What type of clients do you have requesting your illustration services?

Of course the science fiction and fantasy book and magazine publishers, but I get nearly as many requests from banking, insurance and corporate type clients. I find myself designing illustrations for everything from publications, to advertising and marketing materials, to internet stories and articles, to annual reports.

Thank you for taking the time to enlighten our readers about your struggle for fame and fortune.

Well the struggle continues for me, but I hope others can find some sort of inspiration in hearing about my long and winding road to relative happiness (laughs).

In Closing

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Part of the reason I wanted to share some my past on this page was to help others realize that sometimes the path you appear to be on at the moment can present many unforeseen new directions and experiences, and all of the knowledge and skills you find along your journey will eventually help shape whatever final destination you find peace in. Projects that seem irrelevant or relatively insignificant at the present, may very well lead to more fully realized dreams in the future.

I'd like to thank everyone who has visited this site and explored these pages of art and ideas. As I continue to study and develop my craft, I strive to create images that excite the mind and heart and leave the viewer with a spark of inspiration. I would also like to thank the many artists, musicians, writers, and creators of the world for all their many daily inspirations and enlightening creativity.

I always enjoy hearing from any who might care to write. It is only through listening to the thoughts and opinions of others that I can improve and refine my craft and continue to grow as an artist, and a person.

Thanks and take care.