Ahoy! …as the pirates say!
I’d like to get something out of the way….I really admire collage / montage work!
…and having said that I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite collage artists, Mr. Winston Smith. Yes, it’s same name of the character in George Orwell’s 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty Four (1984).
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…. Time for a Flashback ….
Even today I can still clearly remember the day I was looking over the artwork on Green Day‘s Insomniac album.
So Surreal!
I was amazed by the sheer-awesomeness of the cover / booklet artwork.
So impressed that I spent a great deal of time looking it over from front to back, and eventually hanging it proudly on my bedroom wall.
…and there it would hang for years to come until I eventually took it down for a move…
But, low and behold 14 or so years later I would come to find out that the artist behind the Green Day cover art was Winston Smith. I guess I could have just looked a little harder to find his name on the album art…but I was young and oblivious…
At that point I had never heard his name, and only can remember seeing his work once or twice in the past.
I found his site recently and was shocked to make the connection. Check out www.WinstonSmith.com and let me know what you think. =)
Even though I connected him to Green Day’s Insomniac album art, he is probably best known for his work with the late comedian George Carlin and the band the Dead Kennedys.
What I really admire about his artwork is his use of old / vintage clip art from various print sources. There’s something glorious about working with retro images that I enjoy, and it’s really neat to see what other artists can come up with. So naturally I’m drawn to Smith’s montage art…
Another cool thing about Winston Smith is that he doesn’t stick to any one particular medium with his artwork. He has even done pieces on Darth Vader’s helmet as well as long boards.
..It makes things spicy!...
But one of my favorite places to see his art is on condoms! Yes that’s right, he’s done rubber work! You can actually purchase these non-boring condoms directly from www.CondomMania.com – Check them out!
“Smith’s collages are works of great beauty and space, and more than a little psychedelic. Sometimes one can almost see them move.” – Jello Biafra
So what say you?
-Ego