{ Category Archives }
Designer and printmaster Justin Kamerer, aka Angryblue, just made my little printmaking heart skip a beat. That is some detailed, intricate, and provocative shit he’s making. I’d be green with envy if I weren’t already mauve with afternoon food coma.
Have I ever asked myself: What would it look like if Charley Harper made woodblock prints? No, I haven’t. And yet I have an answer to that unasked question today. The work of Ray Morimura has the same simple, solid, geometric values as Harper’s work, and adds to it the beautiful compositional ideals of the traditional Japanese woodblock print. If anyone has some insider trading tips that I can use to score enough cash to afford his work, just let me know in the comments. I’m not above hanging it on the wall of my white collar prison cell.
The two driving forces in my day to day life are art and skateboarding. So when I find a design studio that is driven by those same two forces, it’s a safe bet I’m gonna love their work. Case in point: Morning Breath. 7 years strong (really 13 years), the design duo of Doug Cunningham and Jason Noto have achieved the perfect union of vintage style and modern madness. And somehow they manage it within a 3 or 4-color screenprint. Fuck inspiration, these dudes are role models.
When you say that you’re in love with printmaking, you’d better back that shit up with proof. And proof is in abundance on Christopher Koelle’s portfolio site. That’s not to say that there’s nothing there but printmaking projects. Far from it. But it’s the printmaking section where you can see the real love for creation shining through. Dude puts a lot of heart into that work. I really appreciate the variance of the line quality depending on the subject. It’s the little things like that that show me someone is paying attention. Not to mention that it takes a high level of talent in any medium to vary styles from piece to piece to create mood. Koelle’s got it in spades.