Day 12: Artist Higlight

So it’s Friday again and it’s time for my weekly artist highlight. Earlier this week I had the privilege of corresponding with one of my favorite artist Max Grundy. I came across his stuff in a hot rod magazine a while back and decided to check out his website. I was instantly blown away. It was some of the coolest stuff I had ever seen. His style seems simplistic at first, but it’s not. It’s layered with fear based imagery and cool stuff that all has significant meaning. His tag line is “Fear is the New Beauty”. According to the artist statement on his website, “[his] work defuses the power that media has over our society. Media uses fear as a form of propaganda to control our actions, which makes it a powerful force”. Throughout the rest of his statement he explains this concept and how his art work helps to combat it. If you know me at all you know one of the things I despise the most is the media. That’s why not why I love Max’s work so much, but it is an added bonus.

Through our correspondence this week, I was able to share my current goal with him and how I was trying to get my own art thing going. He was kind enough to visit my blog and then offer some very helpful critique on the Roller Derby Design (look for an updated version tomorrow). In fact, I never knew it, but he used to be an art teacher. So he knows something about helping “frustrated” artist get their act together. Apparently there are a lot of us. Who knew?

Take the time to go and visit his website at http://www.maxgrundy.com/. I think you will quickly understand why I admire his work so much. Hopefully you will feel the same way I do. You will notice much of his stuff is for sale, including T-shirts and prints. I have purchased from him before and trust me, he will treat right. My wife had an issue with an order once, and he called her personally to make sure it was properly taken care of. While Sue had him on the phone, she asked if he wouldn’t mind signing our purchase. He humbly considered the request and was more than happy to do so. If I had a rating system for artists that went on a scale from 1 to 10, Sue would give him 10 and a hug. Below are some of my favorite examples of his work.