Who are you, where are you from and what do you do?
“My name is John Osgood, (aka JOAB), I live in Seattle, Washington, and I am a full time artist.”
How would you describe your style?
“I’d say my style is sort of loose, chaotic at times, colourful, cubistic, cartoonish, and playful.”
Where do you get the inspiration for your character art from? Are they based on real life people?
“I get my inspiration from life. Sometimes it is real life people, but it is more about the process than just creating a specific story about life circumstances. When I start a painting I know there is a character in there, I just have to find it. I’m very processed oriented – I start my paintings off with strokes of colours to build lines and forms. Along with drips, aerosol fades, and stencilling, I start to build a composition. Out of this process, I begin to see a head, eyes, a position of a body. This is when I start really detailing out what I see. What is the body telling me? Is the body in a negative or positive position. The story idea pops into my head about what this character is feeling and what the painting is going to be about. The themes range from sad to humorous, and can be about the uncomfortable circumstances that we all face during our lives at one point or another.”
Tell us a little about Bherd Studios.
“Bherd Studios began at the end of 2006. When I was starting to date Michele, my future wife and co-owner of Bherd Studios, she asked me if I could learn how to do one thing what would it be. I told her I wanted to learn how to silk screen. Next day we had a simple silk screening kit. When we were trying to figure out a name for our new clothing line, we looked at some ideas that I had sketched out for a future skateboard company (Bherd). She liked the idea and the brand stuck. So we originally started with the idea of making custom t-shirts – and Bherd Studios was born. Shortly after that we started looking for an art studio for me to work out of and came across a retail space. The evolution was natural for us, we wanted to provide a place for me to paint, and also a gallery where we could feature other up and coming urban contemporary artists. It all came together and now we curate group shows monthly out of our gallery and I have a studio in back where I can paint and create.”
Describe a normal day in the life of John Osgood.
“I am up, out of bed at 7:30 a.m., and I help my wife get ready for work. After that I jump into emails, check the websites I keep track of (art websites that provide me with inspiration), and then draw for a bit. From there I clean myself up, skate to the shop, which is downhill about a block and half – pretty rough commute, and open up the shop. From there I clean a bit and then start working on a painting or a drawing, build frames, paint frames, connect with other artists, bring in artwork or ship it out. I’m usually back home by 6:30 p.m., and may work on a few more things and set myself up for the next day, watch the news, sleep, dream.”
Any tips for beginners?
“Organization, persistence, do your research, and most importantly – have a thick skin. For every rejection, send out two more submissions someplace else that fits your style of artwork. I am always trying to keep on top of organizing my work and keeping track of where it’s at. It is a daunting task. The more organized that an artist is, the more prepared they will be when people come to them asking them to hang artwork, to buy artwork, and/or to commission artwork. Persistence: Artists need to go out there and find their market, ask the right questions, create finished artwork, and repeat. I feel persistence goes along with having thick skin. Don’t fear constructive criticism, it’s a way to grow as an artist, even when the criticism is hard to listen to, it’s a good thing. It means that someone cares enough to try to make you a better artist.”
Thanks for your time John, is there anything else you’d like to add?
“Thank you for having me be a part of the PimpArtworks world. If there was anything to add I’d say that I feel very fortunate that I get to be an artist and get to show the world the things that I create. I am one lucky hombre.”
Check out John’s full PimpArtworks profile – Buy Urban Art
