What happens when you don’t have interwebz for a good week because of a phone company’s fuck up? … I go do random stuff like pulling old typewriters apart, hunting for art gear, pissing off to a gun range to have my eardrums blown out hehe. Visiting comic shops and getting all stupidly excited over figurines. Gothy ones. WANT!

Impy goes exploring a well known area and gets asked if I know who Martin Fuckin Emond is. SO I get shown …

Eh? Says Impy. Who?

Kinda weird when I go exploring in a shop here in NZ and immediately am in awe and walk out in a complete festering arty mood. I want to draw and paint. The art I see I love.

I grew up reading comics, I have a fascination for animation artists. I love tattoo art and have done so for many years, even just about became a tattooist when offered an apprenticeship a few years back. I love the old style tattoo art and the poster images that depict this style. I also love the whole ‘James Dean’ thang. So who is or should I say ‘was’ Martin Fuckin Emond. In the international world of comic art and hard rock illustration this dude was well revered. He became well known for his illustrated novel “White Trash” which pulled him into other high profile comic work including “Heavy Metal”. He has also created album covers for the band “Danzig” as well as a couple of well known Kiwi bands, Shihad and Head Like a Hole.

In late 1999 he jumped into creating streetwear for Illicit Clothing which is where I ended up yesterday, my mouth agape and grinning like a twit oogling all the AWESOME artwork.

They say Emond’s work is said to be reminiscent of rock n’ roll tattoos and classic sign art, and characterised by darkly sardonic humour.  i have to agree and it resonates with what I love about art and comic style illustration. As for the dark humor, well nuff said. I love it. His little project that he was continually working on was a little guy called Switchblade. Very cool … his favourite saying “Throw up your goats!”

An amazing fucking artist who had talent. Sadly he’s not on this plane anymore which totally sucks because I’ve just discovered an artist I adore. He even was inspired by another artist whom I have a wee affinity for and have some of the dude’s artwork reproduced and floating around here in my art books and the comics.

A painter, illustrator and an NZ cartoonist.

I wish I had been able to meet him.

All I can say is just “fucking wow”. Inspiring.

So yeah thats what I’ve been up to. Galavanting about the place waiting for the phone company to get their shit together.

And on that note I’m off to immerse myself in artwork.
(3 weeks to go till uni starts. I’m frothing at the mouth to get stuck in!)