Monday, March 10, 2014

BEGINNING


I suppose any link towards an obsession with silk-screened shirts started at a very early age. I remember vividly at the age of 8 developing a strong bond with a skateboard, which led to delving through magazines like Thrasher and Transworld. I was a music man, even back then, and the ads in these magazines gave me a unique view into the fringes of art and music. Strong graphic images in black and white. This was something more than advertising and marketing. This was fresh stewing counter-culture. Artists like Pushead and Raymond PettibonThe Black Flag logos, Cramps logos, Metallica and Misfits t-shirts, buttons, patches, and stickers. These would be the first records I would seek out on my own. Some people see something dark, or gothic, browsing such images, but they were more than just that. They were esoteric and exotic.  Like the strong archetypes of our time, and my childhood; Christ on the cross or The Beatles, many were impactfulemotional and challenging. True existential art. Suffering at it's finest. Even the text had fury. This culture exculpated my weakness and brought me great joy. This was before the archetypal image of a skull was plastered all over department stores. Before the days of the internet these images, and bands, presented a sort of mystery to an 8 year old boy. Just like any religion shrouded in mysticism, emotion, rebellion, value, art and culture, these images burned into my mind and made life somehow more meaningful... purposeful. Art was a lifestyle and this was my niche in the modern world 


No comments:

Post a Comment