Alongside this blog and a few others I also write a t-shirt reviews blog at www.buy-tees.net and I've featured work by the UK indie fashion brand Disturbia Clothing quite a few times now. They employ various freelance artists for their t-shirt collections and for me a few of their designs really jump out every time. So I had a chat with Frank, the guy behind DC and found out the artist's name is Godmachine, an illustrator based in Wales, UK, with some skills to die for. Growing up and working as an electrician and bricklayer as a young lad, it was skateboard graphics that eventually rekindled his love of art. His influences include artists such as Horsebites, H.R. Giger, Aubrey Beardsley, Gustav Klimt, Chet Zar and Jim Phillips, although it must be said this guy is getting quite a following himself now. As a freelance artist Godmachine’s art can be found on skateboards and band merchandise including t-shirts, album covers and posters. Although he sees himself as old-school, truth is he found working with acrylic rather on the messy side and so he does most of his sketching straight on a graphics tablet nowadays.
What strikes me about Godmachine's work is the detail, in fact the gory detail. It's as if this guy sends himself into a trance when it comes to exploration of the microcosm, he's in there permanently, sending back visual techniques that haven't been afforded this much love and attention since the Pre-Raphaelite era. Colours are used like a weapon, his use of neon blues and pinks are particularly effective in creating a strange mid-space somewhere between perspective and pattern. There are definitely strong tattoo art influences in his work too, I'm sure at least a few of his works have been "appropriated" for a little skin decoration along the way. The fact is Britain, or more precisely Wales, has its own in-house Shepard Fairey and hardly anyone has noticed. Whilst Obey gets deals with Levis and the like this guy carries on diligently, almost unknown in the wider world. He's an artist's artist, that much is certain, he crosses the boundary of craft and art, in fact his work exudes the "craft of art", the process in the construction of an image. Multi-layering a more traditional horror/comic style into something quasi-totemic, almost religious in a stained-glass design kind of vibe.
Drown in some detail, you can get lost in these images. Oh and click them for even more detail…
If you'd like to know more there are a few interviews around that feature Godmachine's thoughts on art, life, horror and just about everything else.
Godmachine interview at I Love The Undead
Godmachine interview at Creep Machine
Godmachine interview at Ride The Rockett
Godmachine interview at Abduzeedo
You can also hook up with him at his site, hire him, twit him, or corner him at Myspace.
Hi Paul, congratulations on being my first in EC dropping.
And thank you for constantly dropping, too.
Killer designs! They astonish my eyes!