Feature: Kronk
April 15th, 2010
Name: Kronk
Hometown: Ape Town, ZA
Favourite colour: Rainbow
What was your inspiration or the idea behind your Verb design?
Throw away culture, Retro Sci-fi robotics and totem poles. The idea is that we praise trash and the evils that follow, like drunkenness, piracy, fighting and fashionable, yet ridiculous excess. The idea was to provoke thought about modern society’s obsession with newness whilst defacing tradition and praising stupidity, who are the Kardashians anyway?
Could you briefly explain the process you went through in creating this work?
I drank a ton of coffee, listened to the radio for cheese, smoked some fags, doodled and eventually got there. It was an organic process, but no plants or herbs were ever involved.
What music were you listening to while you were creating your graphics for the Verb range?
Mostly the radio. I wanted to listen to enough pop music to disgust my senses into the right area. Mostly I listen to oldies from the 90′s like Soundgarden, but I was dropping some Talib, Wu-Tang, Mos, and so Jedi mind Tricks for some extra flavour. a little doof-doof crept into the playlist too.
Did you have any formal art education, or are you self-taught?
I have been doodling my whole life, but I got a formal education in design at The Cape Peninsula of Technology. I learnt a lot about concept and composition from the amazing lecturers there. These are the foundations I like to build my work on. For the illustration part I am mostly self taught, but I apply the logic of design with my work. I maintain that most work out there at the moment looks rad but has little or no concept, unless it is supremely original, it will not stick with you. I like to engage my audience with sub-plots and little details they can discover. It keeps them entertained and that way they visit the work more than if it looked cool with no idea in it.
What sort of full-time work do you do currently? Are there any other projects you’re involved with at the moment?
I work at Amicollective during the day. We focus squarely on illustration, but lately we are exploring toy manufacture with our company called Toyfriend. We did an exhibition for charity with our BARE toy, we have since reworked the design into a 3inch toy and will be dropping these in June. I am also doing various toy and commercial jobs with Kidrobot. I’ve got a Labbit coming out later this year, and I am finishing up two large scale illustrations for their stores in Los Angeles and New York. Lastly, I am working with Nike on their artist world cup pieces. They invited 6 of us (James Jarvis, Mister Cartoon, Nunca, Delta, and SoMe) from various countries to redesign their team’s uniform. Mine will be dropping in April and it has been an amazing opportunity to put SA illustration up there on the world stage. We have the good shit going on here, I promise…
What sorts of mediums do you work in and what do you enjoy about it?
I work mostly in Vector. I love the smoothness of the curves and way that the colours can be quickly manipulated to produce different vibes.I also love the organic and geometric elements one can manipulate. I love this medium because it makes one think in simpler terms than painting and using shapes to create pieces is my fave thing to do. I also work a lot with my hands. Everything I do starts with a good drawing, I never jump straight onto the machine. I love working with good pens and definitely with ink and brush. The brushpen is a gift from God, it combines my two fave tools and makes creating beautiful lines a dream. I can also airbrush, paint, use chalk, stencil, and even woodwork. I like different mediums, I use new methods to create pieces regularly. I get bored and sometimes I like to try new things to keep it fun and fresh.
Do you do anything else for fun other than making art?
Not really. Art is a compulsion I cannot shake. However, I have started Kayaking and I love to fish. Otherwise, I love klapping a few ales or hanging out with my lady is a blast. I secretly love to shop, and mostly I buy new toys or sneakers. I am compulsive in all areas of my life, it is a vicious cycle…
Who are some of the artist’s whose work you enjoy or take inspiration from?
Tough question to answer…I like Picasso, Dali, Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Warhol, Norman Catherine and so many others. I admire modern guys like Milton Glaser, Seymour Chwast, Saul Bass, David Carson, Charles Burns, Gary Baseman, Koralie, KAWS, Shepard Fairey, and the list goes on. I enjoy people who engage with me through their art or where I can see passion resonating from the canvas. You don’t have to buy fancy books or go to nice galleries to see this, sometimes it might be at a craft market or scribbled on a wall. Good art is EVERYWHERE. Oh, and of course the ultimate artist is GOD, his stuff is always blowing our minds.
How do you feel about being an artist living and working in South African?
It has its ups and downs. Our scene is small and not as huge as say Europe, Asia or America, but we have strong talent. I love SA because it is naturally blessed and diverse, this is a great inspiration. Also, some of our customs, characters and beliefs are incredibly unique which also makes life interesting. However, with the Internet it is not hard to work overseas from your bedroom, so there is really little need to go wait tables in London to live my dream. I love it here, in spite of our faults, South Africa is an awesome place.
Do you have any plans for 2010 such as art shows, travels or new styles to explore?
I was invited by Nike to go to Russia and Poland, which sounds rad. I will be doing the Toffie festival at the end of March and after that I have no idea. I keep a low profile with exhibitions as they eat time and make me nervous. I always want to blow minds, but never have the time. I hate putting out average stuff. But it does happen…
Do you have any websites or blogs that people interested in your work should check out?
I will be up soon on Goodness Greatness, a blog run by good mates of mine from London. I have a way out of date Flickr site if that’s what you are after. I am really slack with the internet, but I will have a site up soon I hope. Google?
