Daren Thomas Magee is one of the country's best-known illustrators with more than 370,000 followers on Instagram, and his Real Fun Wow company has become the platform for his singular, instantly recognizable style of simple bold lines and muted hues.

He is also the artist whose work graces the Spring issue of our local magazine, Ojai Quarterly, which is flying off the shelves. The discussion covers a lot (A LOT) of ground. We talk about growing up in western New York's frozen wastelands, the Underground Railroad, his journey to Ojai, Imposter Syndrome, psychedelics, his own podcast with Jaymee Carpenter, "Mystical/Cynical," how his work has evolved over the years, and the Russian Constructivists.

You can check out his work on instagram at @realfunwow.

We did not talk about sourdough starters, American imperialism or Pope John Paul II.