Hanging out on some of the sweaters and caps of Opening Ceremony's Spring/Summer 2013 mens and womens collections are illustrations by familiar face and New York artist Jack Greer. The slimy octopi and snappy alligator images are based on the collections' main point of inspiration, Key West, Florida. We checked in with Jack to catch up on how he's been surviving winter, his current projects, favorite cartoons, and favorite Florida news story.
Hi Jack! How has your winter been?
Winter has been, well, dark and cold. I usually power through it with my bicycle and some gloves, however, this year has been rougher than usual. I'm either getting old and my joints don't work as well or I'm just fat and lazy. I'm very excited to turn the corner on the past three months and take advantage of everything that spring offers. I've been working on some side projects as well as the usual clothing stuff. I've spent most of the winter in my studio in Red Hook.
What are you currently working on?
Right now, I'm working on drawings. I spend a lot of time working on machines and my artwork reflects that a lot. Recently, though, I decided to challenge the capabilities of my hand and create drawings of the images my machines produce for me.
What were your visual references when creating the alligator and octopi illustrations?
I was asked to think about Key West and to look into the patterns, animals, prints, and colors that come from Florida. Those images jump-started the illustrations.
Have you ever visited Florida?
I've been to Florida twice now. I've been to Miami for Art Basel for the past two years. Miami is a city full of debauchery and I can only handle it in one-week periods. Nonetheless, it has some good sunshine, food, and parties. Just typing this out reminds me of how much I don't want to go back there for a long time.
What were or are some of your favorite cartoons?
My favorite cartoons were G.I. Joe, Duck Tales, and the early years of South Park definitely had my eyes bleeding. These days I don't watch many cartoons but I enjoy throwback movies such as The Land Before Time and Toy Story.
As a kid, what did you always draw?
I've been drawing forever and ever. The range of images was definitely wide. I think the first things I drew consistently were skateboard flipbooks. I loved using the corners of my books in school to make flipbook movies of stick figures doing skateboard maneuvers.
As an adult, what do you always draw?
I draw tons of text and lighthearted punk rock imagery for the apparel side of my life—all the stuff that I put on my vests and jackets for OC. I like to reference childlike line quality with images that are based on lyrics and themes of punk.
What is your favorite Florida news story?
My favorite Florida news story comes in the form of the magazine Busted. I have a subscription to the magazine that prints out mug shots of the past week/month and has an entire paper designated to displaying them. It's pretty ridiculous but it interests me as we are all so damn voyeuristic and want to see others fail. I've attached a few images of the magazine so you can see what I'm talking about.
Shop all Opening Ceremony mens here and womens here.
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Hi Jack! How has your winter been?
Winter has been, well, dark and cold. I usually power through it with my bicycle and some gloves, however, this year has been rougher than usual. I'm either getting old and my joints don't work as well or I'm just fat and lazy. I'm very excited to turn the corner on the past three months and take advantage of everything that spring offers. I've been working on some side projects as well as the usual clothing stuff. I've spent most of the winter in my studio in Red Hook.
What are you currently working on?
Right now, I'm working on drawings. I spend a lot of time working on machines and my artwork reflects that a lot. Recently, though, I decided to challenge the capabilities of my hand and create drawings of the images my machines produce for me.
What were your visual references when creating the alligator and octopi illustrations?
I was asked to think about Key West and to look into the patterns, animals, prints, and colors that come from Florida. Those images jump-started the illustrations.
Have you ever visited Florida?
I've been to Florida twice now. I've been to Miami for Art Basel for the past two years. Miami is a city full of debauchery and I can only handle it in one-week periods. Nonetheless, it has some good sunshine, food, and parties. Just typing this out reminds me of how much I don't want to go back there for a long time.
What were or are some of your favorite cartoons?
My favorite cartoons were G.I. Joe, Duck Tales, and the early years of South Park definitely had my eyes bleeding. These days I don't watch many cartoons but I enjoy throwback movies such as The Land Before Time and Toy Story.
As a kid, what did you always draw?
I've been drawing forever and ever. The range of images was definitely wide. I think the first things I drew consistently were skateboard flipbooks. I loved using the corners of my books in school to make flipbook movies of stick figures doing skateboard maneuvers.
As an adult, what do you always draw?
I draw tons of text and lighthearted punk rock imagery for the apparel side of my life—all the stuff that I put on my vests and jackets for OC. I like to reference childlike line quality with images that are based on lyrics and themes of punk.
What is your favorite Florida news story?
My favorite Florida news story comes in the form of the magazine Busted. I have a subscription to the magazine that prints out mug shots of the past week/month and has an entire paper designated to displaying them. It's pretty ridiculous but it interests me as we are all so damn voyeuristic and want to see others fail. I've attached a few images of the magazine so you can see what I'm talking about.
Shop all Opening Ceremony mens here and womens here.