Interview by Rachel Gottesman

Hello Ken, pioneer of (what I'm now calling) the neon collage explosion movement. Congrats on being printed again!

Thank You Rachel! Its been great participating here at Threadless!!!

So I get to be a pioneer of the "Neon Collage Explosion Movement?" Thats pretty neat. I really appreciate all the love that comes from the people who like the Neon Collage Boombastic stuff because there are lots of folks that don't want to get down with it so much.

I like a variety of things and wacky bright colored collage art is one of those. It's freaking awesome to be printed here at Threadless since it was my inspiration to get playing with graphics and illustration for t-shirts in the first place a few years ago, which now I am actually doing full time...



Anyways, It's been a blessing to get prints here and to be part of this little/huge international community.

It seems that your work has evolved form more hand-drawn work to epic day-glo amalgamations. Was there one turning point or epiphany, or was this more of a gradual transition? Why does collage bring you so much joy?

Hrrrmm... Amalgamations! Well, all this collage funky fun stuff was discovered after I was playing around with a skateboard design in Photoshop. There were no color limitations for how it would be produced and I had always loved just cutting loose, so I figured I could come up with some kind of really random all over the place stuff that I hadn't allowed myself to enjoy before. It was really just a lot of fun messing around with it.

I mean you can even see that I used random, even really bad fonts...But I didn't care and just slapped stuff together, but the whole time kind of imagining it as a moving story "kapow" sort of thing with drawings and doodles; my friend J-Dave, kitties, the iron chef guy bitting the pepper, random words, Thomas, flamingos, you know, and all on a faux wood background makes for a fun little skateboard graphic...

That design won a little contest and that kind of solidified or confirmed that style as something I might want to pursue a bit. That is really what launched this whole collaging ridiculousness which has been really great! It all kind of fits organically.

A couple of months later that same skateboard design was seen by a clothing company who put me on a mission to make designs with a similar feel. Right after that I submitted "Ta$ty Mix" . When that was chosen I jumped around a lot. This was all happening a month before I was about to be married so it was an exciting time.

"Ta$ty Mix" was really just in reaction to the limitation of 5 colors. It was a fun experiment to juxtapose the bright colors to make other colors to do the sweet color mixing illusion that I first learned from Kye Carbone, a great artist and teacher from the old days.

Now this print "Training for Utopia" came out awesome with a lot of the same 5 color eyeball light mixing radical-ness going on. I really love making this collage mash stuff because it's really fun to look at...like, "Wow!..look at that!" and I like to hide elements, so I'll say... "I forgot that was even in there!", and others will say, "Dude, Look at that little dingle funny guy! I never saw that!"

Also we just had "Bunyan's Blues" get printed! Wooo! And all because of the awesome Style Swap crew and Fatheed who is a great designer to swap with...It is always beneficial to try new things in art and push yourself in other directions... It can only help you grow.

Is t shirt design your main design staple, or are there other projects you're working on?

Currently T-shirt design has been a great niche for me so far. Thriving Ink Design has been supportive and generous, and that first clothing company has been great since they allow for so much freedom in design and continue to ask me to make designs (look out Macy's!).



I love skateboarding and all kinds of music and amazingly I am making designs for skateboards for a company now and all kinds of bands as well.

Just emailing people, organizations, and companies I really like has started great connections and relationships. Recenlty I've been dabbling in a little illustration for magazine stuff too, which is totally new to me.

Keep a look out for Siren Skateboards this fall!

There is a huge mural that needs finishing that my wife Krystin and I worked on together and I'm doing collaborative skateboard art with Krystin and my friend Matt Brennan who is a great illustrator. Screen printing and large posters will be coming around soon as well.

... I'd like to think my main staple is kicking booty.

Your resume states that you went to school for industrial design. Do you still do any of that? When did you decide that graphic design was more up your alley?

Hooo, nice detective work. Pratt I.D. man oh man. Those were some fun times. Actually I don't do any of that awesome junk at all right now! But I would consider it for sure! I did create a toy with the full package and accessories to go along with the skateboard company "Beast Slayer" and I'm always scheming on projects and ideas, but it is all in hibernation.



I will say what I learned in I.D., I will always be using and continuing in... Like ideation, sketching and just problem solving in really creative ways. I felt like I really needed a passion for I.D. if I wanted to pursue it as a career which I didn't have. I mean I loved the process of Industrial Design and problem solving in fun ways but the options for working in the industry did not appeal to me or maybe it was the focus and importance surrounding material objects.

I think the best forms of design would be along the ideas of sustainability. Check out the book "Cradle to Cradle." At one point in I.D. I got accused of being an artist. I don't see as much a division between artist and designer though.

Anyways, you are right about graphic design being more up my alley! At least for now. Making graphics and illustrations has just been an easy and natural fit. Maybe I just like goofing around too much or there is a lot more freedom to let loose the imagination and get funky, and propose ideas and concepts.

When I did I.D. I think really I just wanted to learn how to make toys and skateboards and make crazy sculptural conceptual stuff, and experiment. Oh and I learned a lot about funky drawing actually in I.D. , getting a good 3-D feeling and volume.

I think that communicates in some of the crazy designs... at least in my mind. Someday I would like to do 3-D representations of some of these things or 3-D sculptural designs with a similar feel. And I'd love to learn me some animation to get this stuff pulsing and moving... maybe interactive at some point.



I realized I could really put a dent in the student loans I have by doing this graphic art, and that is a top priority... Kill the Debt!...Which my wife and I are doing, thanks to so many almost miraculous little things. Encouragement from loved ones and friends has also kept me going in this direction as well... You should see my wife's awesome art too! I think we play off of each others art a lot... its great!

What's the art scene like in VA?

It seems like all the artists here know each other since it is a smaller city and there are frequent art happenings. Lots of motivated artists and everyone is really supportive of each other mostly. It is seems as a whole to be slowly opening up to fresh ideas and possibilities.

Here in Roanoke, VA specifically it needs and might be getting a slight kick in the rear...or a nice juicy electric shock, or maybe its like a pregnant young woman, haha...There is big potential here and many of us are hopeful for the future...

There is a gigantic Art Museum about to open this fall which should be great although some locals have mixed feeling. I feel a big push from many artists and organizations who want to make this little city more culturally awesome, or better. It is beautiful round here and most people are great. Just in the crack between the Bible Belt and the North... there is just lots of untapped potential all around. But that is common everywhere. I'm actually originally from Erie, PA , another place of growing potential, so I am still meeting folks down here.

Speaking of art, I have a show coming up!

Wed. October 1st! at the Roanoke Main Library

Its gonna be sick! Skateboards/Skateboarding art, art, food, hopefully some Metal! So if anybody is in the area please check it out!!!

Who would you rather see wearing one of your shirts? A drunk clown, or a weightlifting midget? There are merits to both...

Haha, geeze... I think Weightlifting midget all the way! Yeah...the little muscle man or woman would look quite fresh n stylin' in the designs...I think the drunk clown idea makes me feel funny inside. Barfy kinda...



Barfy clown... Like "The Morning After?" Which reminds me...What is your favorite beer?

Guiness, Youngs Double Chocolate Stout, Matevesa (brewed with Yerbe Mate), and a few others including Highlife, Icehouse, Mickey's for fun, haha... Its hard to say just one you know? Different beer for different moments. Oh yea and Chimay, the blue one! Beers... Cheers!

Thanks for answering my ridiculous questions!

Yo hey it was great! Thank you! I wrote a lot...haha... Thanks Rachel! Bye Bye!


Interview by Rachel Gottesman


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