First of all I would like to thank last months featured artists, Mark Riddick and Godmachine. Both artists can now be found in the archives in the Featured Artists page. For the month of September we have a couple of artists with art that is on the lighter side of things. Joe Havasy and Matt Ritchie both make cartoon infused work, that is sure to make you laugh and is just a blast to look at. Head on over and check these two artists out.

It’s been quite a long time since I have had the featured artists up at the first of the month. This months artists are Mark Riddick and Godmachine. Both artists have a darker style to their art, create designs for a variety of bands and I think their work compliments each other well. I would also like to thank last months featured artists, Jacob Mantia and Jesse Riggle, you can find their art in the archives if you missed it.

I also was able to get a mini-interview with Godmachine:

CM: I know you have been drawing as far back as you can remember, what were some of the things that influenced your artwork along the way?

GM: as with everyone that evil Disney started me off- at the same time it was nature books- I just remembered I used to draw horses a lot- wonder why i stopped? odd. But I think it was when i became a teenager and MTV hit the UK and Skateboarding hit big. It was definitely skateboarding. Jim Phillips has a lot to answer for- he defined a generation of artists and I see the same thing year in year out. what a legend.

CM: Are there any specific movies or music that continually help to inspire your current work?

GM: Return of the living dead, Blade Runner, Taxi Driver, Re animator, Raising Arizona, Holy Mountain, 2001, La Haine, Jacobs Ladder, and thousands more too many to mention.
Musically it has to be Kyuss and the doors. The need to be weird and wired. even though I live the clean life now- they did it for me.

CM: You have created designs for poster, shirts, skateboards, is there anything you would love to do that you haven’t been approached about yet?

GM: I’m hopefully doing watches this week. I would love to Design living spaces. I hate the way we waste space and fill it with junk. I was standing behind the tv the other day- there is this huge gap there- its been there since we moved in and put the brain drug alter there. So the Mrs comes home and there I am in this space and she asks what the hell? and I told her- I pay for this space Ima bloody well use it. I go to peoples houses and they have chairs in hallways with books next to them- We all know you wont find them sat in the hallway reading a book- its senseless- I dont get it- We think we need all this room to live- we dont. I wouldnt design a small space but I would use it for a better purpose than putting a vase with sticks in (my Mrs mum has sticks in her hallway- sticks!!!- they pay for sticks from ikea and make the waste of space seem appropriate and ‘worth it’….with sticks!!!).

CM: Finally, you said that you used to work with paints to create your art, is there any chance that we will see acrylic or oil works from you, possibly in a gallery setting?

GM: I have a real problem with galleries around by me and I still have a chip on my shoulder about it. I would carry my canvases round truing to get a break a spot a chance…and they would all either say- you got to give us 99% of you takings or ‘oooh its a bit too dark’. Being shunned by my art community made me what I am today though. I think If I could take a year off and concentrate on my acrylics I would- but I dont have enough time money or space to do it any more. All my paintings are being stored in a back room at a tattoo shop, when a friend opened a place he let me show my art there- but now he is big and has popular art there my work is kept out back under some crap- really should go get them back. sold a few from there though. wish I kept them now gutted.

Now make sure you check out the featured section to see both Godmachine and Mark Riddick’s work.

Mark Riddick is an artist out of Northern Virgina. His worked with all sorts of bands and labels, and was the genius behind the Metalocalpyse poster I talked about before. Mark currently has a print and shirt combo on sale right now. A portion of this sale will go to the NDI Foundation, to help support research for this “rare genetic disorder called Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus (NDI).” So not only are you getting an amazing print, and a shirt, but your also able to help out and hopefully make someone else’s life better in the process. It’s only $25, you can’t beat that.
This set is limited to 100, so head on over now. Make sure you specify what size shirt as well.

Mark Riddick Print Combo