Artist Series: Holden Mesk
We have been big fans of Holden's since we discovered him through our friend Southern Wonders - the two collaborated on some incredibly beautiful photo/ illustration projects that blew our mind.
We began following along with Holden, he makes so much rad work. He placed second in this year's Pabst Blue Ribbon Can Art Contest:
He really crushes it. We'll stop gushing now and get to this iteration of our Artist Series interview with Holden Mesk -
(Photo Courtesy of Jared Harber/ Southern Wonders)
Bummerland: Hey Holden! Tell us a little about yourself.
Holden Mesk: Howdy! I'm an illustrator, collage artist, and designer currently living and working in Asheville, NC. I'm originally from Hollywood, FL, but have been living here in AVL for the last 16 years. I've always loved drawing since I was a wee lad, but it was in my teen years when I discovered collage art and decided to take art more seriously. I then eventually transitioned to doing illustration work in addition to my collage stuff and the rest is history. I now enjoy working with a whole bunch of cool clients (like y'all) from around the world and it's the coolest thing ever and I am very thankful.
BL: What are some of the influences for your work?
HM: Keith Haring, 1980s shopping malls, Pee Wee's Playhouse, Georgia O'Keeffe, mid century modern design, Walter Van Beirendonck, the weirdness of the human experience, thrift stores, David Hockney, and minimalism.
BL: What are some of your hobbies? Any good music you're listening to?
HM: I love skateboarding! I sprained my ankle back in February and that has sadly affected my skate time this year, but I am slowly getting back into it. In addition to skating, I love making videos, going to thrift stores, playing video games, and eating lots of chips and salsa. As far as music goes, there's too many different artists to name that I have been loving! I recommend checking out my side project music blog Cool Sounds to see all the various music I've been digging.
BL: Are there any upcoming projects that we should keep an eye out for?
HM: Yes! Besides the rad socks we just did together, I have a bunch of cool stuff in the works. Stay tuned to my instagram to see all the announcements! ;)
Thank you so much Holden for taking the time to design some really rad socks for us and letting us know a bit more about you!
Follow Holden on Instagram and check out his website where he's selling some pretty rad stuff: https://holdenmesk.bigcartel.com/
And cop some of these rad socks HERE, they're already almost gone!
One last thing - big shout out and thanks to Jared Harber for doing our product photography for these socks.