With work dripping with off kilter roguish charm, be bedazzled by anthropomorphism to famous faces, with fridges filled resplendently with haunted cephalopodic terror thrown in for good measure. Expect lots of biro and bewildering sights. Welcome in the Tales Of Black Eyed Jack, aka Jason Kattenhorn.
KALTBLUT: When did you start drawing?
Black Eyed Jack: I have been drawing since I was really tiny; I started out mostly drawing mermaids and the power rangers, I was a typical 90s kid.
KALTBLUT: Your illustrations are so colourful, what kind of techniques do you use?
Black Eyed Jack: On my original pieces I use an amalgamation of biro, pencil crayon, gold leaf and watercolour. To create the digital versions I use a mash up of found cosmic images, and edit them on Photoshop. The vivid cosmic graphics really highlight the details on the faces I draw.
KALTBLUT: Where do you get inspiration from?
Black Eyed Jack: Northern Soul music, dancing, indie films, Byzantium art, Art Deco, I love Tamara Lempicka, a 1950s colour palette, idiosyncrasies of people, the collective Parched Artists, so many things…
KALTBLUT: What is your favorite Medium to use?
Black Eyed Jack: I love blue ballpoint biro, but I am experimenting with pencil crayons and watercolours at the moment to add more vivid colour.
KALTBLUT: Do you have any mentor, artist that inspires you?
Black Eyed Jack: I don’t have one particular artist that inspires me, but being an outsider artist does mean I sometimes lose my way now and again. Inspirational talks from a good friend keep me creating, with emphasis being placed on the fact that even if no one cares what it is you are doing just keep creating regardless.
KALTBLUT: Where does your artist name come from?
Black Eyed Jack: As a teenager I had this awesome T-shirt with a pirate called Black Eyed Jack designed on the front. I decided to take on the Tales of Black Eyed Jack pseudonym some years later to add a little mystery and adventure to my artistic exploits as I try and make a name for myself.
KALTBLUT: What are you working on at the moment?
Black Eyed Jack: I am working on a new portrait of a lovely blonde lady. I am Focusing on using softer shading with the ballpoint pen and pencil crayons to create a lighter realistic portrait. There will still be lots of colour, biro and bewildering sights ahead.
Interview by Nicolas Simoneau
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