Queasy Rider: I’m a 17 year old student, in my first year at Oasis Skateboard Factory. Due to my strong interest in visual art and creativity, I knew that OSF was the right school for me. I really enjoy experimenting with different mediums by creating pieces. I have been designing and creating characters since I was very young, I have worked to make my art and style unique and one of a kind.
My brand is Queasy Rider; it exists to connect sick art with sick people. I mainly produce art for people who enjoy grotesque imagery and to those who have illnesses (and a sense of humor.) My goal with my art is to spread awareness and help young people who have spent most of their lives in hospitals, specifically, The Hospital for Sick Children. My goal is to work with The Hospital for Sick Children and make art with patients so I can raise money to support efforts in treating the children.
Some influences and inspirations behind my art are classic movie monsters, comics, masks and detailed sculptures. Since I was very young, I have been a fan of horror movies and special effects. Someone who has had a big influence on my art throughout my life is Rob Bottin. He is a special make up effects creator, who did work for John Carpenter. Another person whose work I look up too is, Rick Baker. Rick Baker is also a special make up effects creator who was behind Men in Black, Gremlins 2, amongst other great films. Some talented illustratorsthat also influence my work are Greg Capullo, and Cody Schibi.
When people think of sickness it can be scary, there is a stigma and stereotypes that surround people who have illnesses. I try to represent these stereotypes and stigmas by bringing that exaggeration to a visual surface. For example, some people can find discomfort in things like tumors and cysts, so my aim is to really animate those fears with creepy characters. I want to use the proper human anatomy to help educate people around illnesses. My goal is to confront peoples exaggerated ideas when it comes to illnesses while also educating them through my art.
I used spray paint and stencils for the background and faces; I then went in with some acrylic paint and painted some details that I couldn’t get with spray paint. Finally I used a paint marker and did some final touches that made it really pop, I decided to keep the wood visible so that the colors really stand out. My use of movement in the slime between each face helps move your eye from the top to the bottom, I used heavy line work and dark colors on the center of the board so that the other two faces would attract the eye.
The actual design on my board is of a face repeated three times, each representing a different anatomical system. The one on the top is a character, it has a few cysts and an abnormal amount of build up above his left eye making it a little covered, the face in the middle is him without his skin, it is just muscle and tissue, he looks goofier than anything. The bottom is him with only bone. Breaking down the images, the first face is quite animated the build ups, when you strip him down to no skin, the viewer can easily see that this character doesn’t look much different from anyone.
This is the first board I have made and it was both a challenge and joy to work on. Next time I will take my time and really think about the process. I had some difficulty cutting my stencils so taking my time in the future will help me quite a bit.
