Artist Spotlight : PROTOMATTER

I’ve taken some time off the blog to work on a few of my other projects, one of them being an on-going collage art zine PROTOMATTER, that I started back in January of this year. Each issue features my original artwork, music reviews, and an interview/showcase of a local artist’s work. I also make hand-made merch (such as the prints [$12]and pins [$5] pictured above [free shipping]) that are on sale through my shop .

This zine is a project that I started to give myself an opportunity to create new art and establish better art-making habits. As someone who notices a shift of responsibilities and time as we get older, I felt I needed a new way to manage my time spent making art. This zine is a collective collage series that focuses on my own progress as an artist, as well as highlighting talented artists in my community.

The artists featured in this zine are my friends and those in the local tri-state area who have important philosophies that they translate into their artworks. Issues 001 and 002 feature two incredible female artists who are also my friends in the real world: Mare Scang and Eman Wasef. I believe that it is important to support those around you that inspire you, and to share with one another in that collective creative experience.

It would mean the world to me for those who enjoy this blog to check out this zine and my merch! As someone who strives towards an autonomous life, creating art and supporting my friends and their skills gives us power in what we do and validates our messages.

You can follow my zine’s Instagram at @protomatterzine and buy an issue / merch here.

Artist Spotlight : Geof Darrow

 

Geof Darrow is one of the most incredible American comic book artists that I’ve happened to find over the past decade. I discovered his artwork through the networking he’d done with my other favorite artists, Jean Giraud “Moebius” and Hayao Miyazaki (one of his Totoro collaborations pictured above).  Geof Darrow’s style is like no other – intricately detailed fight scenes, landscapes, and urban dystopias – like a Where’s Waldo book gone wrong. What makes Darrow’s style so intriguing to me as an artist is his impeccable attention to detail. Each component of his work – whether its a bolt to a giant metal mechanism, or the label on a candy bar in a shop window – they’re all there if you look hard enough.

I had the pleasure of meeting Geof Darrow at NYC Special Edition back in 2014 (as well as Madame Giraud, Moebius’ wife) and he told me all sorts of stories about his friendships with my favorite artists and his art processes. It was incredible to look at his original portfolio, and look through his sketches in person. He even drew me a personalized doodle! Darrow is a very down-to-earth guy, who will humbly deny any claims of being amazing, but is funny and inspiring nonetheless.

Darrow is most known for his collaboration with Frank Miller for the graphic novel Hard Boiled (1990-92), and his original series Shaolin Cowboy (2005). Hard Boiled was my first exposure to Darrow’s art, and the story is said to be the inspiration behind the 2015 action film, Hardcore Henry. It’s one of my favorite graphic novels that plays upon the importance of questioning the fabric of your reality. The main character, a cyborg tax collector gets swept up in an action-packed narrative to bust some “bad” guys – but is it really what it seems? Geof Darrow is also credited as the conceptual artist behind all three Matrix movies (1999). Geof draws inspiration from old Western aesthetics and Japanese animation, and he considers Hergé, Moebius, Osama Tezuka, and Jack Kirby (whom he worked with at Hanna-Barbera) among his top artistic influences.

His newest works Lead Poisoning (a collection of his pencil works) and Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign? are currently available through Dark Horse.