I’d like to begin with a more personal question if you wouldn’t mind, could you tell us about your early youth in Belgium?, influences and experiences that have shaped who you are today?
-I always had an acute passion to nature, it developped massively as i also had a passion for art. I was dreaming to go to an art school since i was three years old but my parents guided me to Biology and Forestry. I listened to them, thinking they were right. Today, the conclusion is mitigated, i feel i should have taken the art direction and study Biology rather than forestry like they advised me. When i was in my early teens, and that was in the early 80's since i am born in 1970, I came across the Metal scene which was then composed of mostly british bands like Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Venom, Deathwish, Deliverance but also german bands like Halloween, Iron Angel, Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, Tankard, Protector, American bands like Possessed, Slayer, Dark Angel, Malice, brazilian bands like Sepultura, Chakal, MX, Sarcofago, Vulcano, Korzus that opened to me a brandnew universe and sparked my passion to start creating logos.
All these bands have been a massive source of inspiration, alongside i also liked the murky feelings of such bands as The Cure, Sisters Of Mercy, Visage, Ultravox.....This is what shaped my person throughout the ages.
Why are you an artist Christophe? Does it give you a great feeling of meaning?
-Being an artist was a passion i developed since i was a toddler. My first aims were drawing what i encountered in Nature. with art. There was nature and the "Scary", a whole new universe that make me feel in my own element, without mentioning heroic fantasy movies like Star Wars, Meteor and thrillers like Amityville or The Shining. So to answer the question....Finding out my talents, my parents were very mitigated, they encouraged me to the whole "Science and Nature" field while they discouraged me to take the "World of the Scary" domain, which in fact encouraged me to go further and to explore, despite their warnings and actions on the matter.
How did you feel to discover your passion and talent?
-It is something i am nowadays so proud i could develop, but after i moved out from my Parents house and that was when i found a job in the UK through the internet that catapulted me to Warwickshire ( I had always a taste to adventure and i always wanted to go abroad any occasions possible) that completely re-shaped my life because i knew i could take any matter in my own hands and to look after myself without being influencable. In fact i found my parents way too influential on my life and oi felt, at 30, there was time to live in another country. Belgium wouldn t be a country where i wanna live, i ALWAYS wanted to leave Belgium since i was youngster as Belgium is a country both in political and economical turmoil, without mentioning the divorce between Flanders and Walloons which doesn't happen well at all, dramatically comparable to the divorce of Heather Mills with Paul McCartney....The Kingdom of Belgium is on the brink and now Flanders got all the jobs but doesn t want any worker from the Walloons...while i grew up in the Walloons, Louvain-la-Neuve
I’m aware that you possess quite a talent for languages would you care to elaborate on this a little more? Does being bilingual aid you with conveying the meaning od non-English band names?
-Since i was young and i travelled since i was 3 to many countries like Poland, Italy, France, Spain, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, i always wanted to communicate with people in THEIR language and when i was in my early years i wanted to take on English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch which i did very successfully, then Portuguese. Also i must tell you i have a Polish background and my Parents felt the need to teach me Polish and practice it as it would be a second Mother Tongues, so basically the three languages i speak as a NATIVE SPEAKER are POLISH, FRANCH, DUTCH (second language spoken in Belgium) AND ENGLISH (Most important language in Belgium, compulsory in most of the schools from early age, there is an early learning option for pre-school pupils now). Then i felt a personal need to speak with Italian bands, Spanish bands and even i find EXTREMELY IRRITATING when i write in their language and they keep replying me in BROKEN english when i can write back very fluently in Italian. Some of the Greatest bands i worked and i still work with are STORMCROW, LECTERN, OBSCURE DEVOTION, WORTHLESS, LUSTER, from Italy, PRIMIGENIUM, RHUNHULE, DYSPRAXIA (Formerly IMPACTO FECAL) from Spain, CELESTIA from France, NERGAL, NOCTERNITY, LYTROSIS from Greece. FILII NIGRANTIUM, PARANORMAL WALTZ, EPPING FOREST from Portugal... These bands made me feel very proud as they came up with great releases
Are you sometimes very self-critical of your own creations?
-Yes, and i am getting more and more self critical with my own creations, There are logos i am still in love with like Emperor, Moonspell, Nocternity, Nachtmystium, Hell Militia, Borknagar, Horna but there is a great deal of logos i find overdone, too simple or simply out dated, however i do continue logos in the pure old school vein. have a look on such logos i recently did for such bands as Cursed Ruin, Deadlocked in Misery, Necro Ritual, Blasphemous Creation, Blood Of Cain....these logos are in the purest old school vein....but on top of it, there is the whole Art Nouveau, Art Deco, De Stijl, Bauhaus, Surrealism, Cubism, Vorticism, Modernism world that brought outstanding possibilities to develop my craftmanship....and make me self critical. I am even considering working on Victorian, Edwardian and Tudor style logos but that is something much more complicated as it demands extreme precision....i will get there sometime. On becoming self-critical, there is someone who helped me a lot to become like that, it's Medan Savamhel from Ba'al Graphics who in fact has helped me a lot with his, sometimes very harsh constructive criticism. He is much younger than me but in just a few years, he became one of the most sought artists in the Esoteric metal specialization, like i am now in the depressive metal sub-genre.
It’s true that you also work with patrons outside of the metal scene, could you tell us of any reason artistic endeavours that have brought you a great pleasure?
-Too many people thought i will limit myself to black and death metal logos and they are totally wrong. SInce i put my profile on MySpace and made it my OFFICIAL WEBPAGE, i got approached by people who had NOTHING to do with metal....instead of turning them down, i feel the need to challenge. Most important thing, communication is essential and people i had a great communication with gave me the pleasure to accomplish logos for Businesses, Film Companies, Clothing Companies and so on. Art Deco was one of the keys to start working with a great deal of NON METAL patrons like TEDDY MADNESS CERAMICS, JACOB's CONCRETE. I am looking to work with VENUES as well, that is a whole field i d like to develop. I just felt the need to be more polyvalent and to expand my creativity, getting myself known in scenes which are completely opposites to metal. It is simple, EVERYONE will find something for her/himself in my art.
It’s very interesting to see that you have a section of your gallery devoted toworks you created during the early nineties, there is a clear development, how do you feel you’ve developed as an artist?
-First off, my ceativity underwent a drastic evolution. Although i am still creating traditional old school logos like in the early 90's, that meanssimple, readable yet efficient and sometimes very aggressive, with a double-edge for Death Metal and a simple jagged edge or branches for Black Metal, i explored various fields where i could develop new motives could it be futuristic (Streamline Moderne) or Nature oriented with floral motives, vines, roots, wildlife....(Art Nouveau) or stylized and modernized shapes by geometrical vectors of the aforementioned (Art Deco). The use of a genuine Architect Board allowed me to create well balanced logos with a supreme sense of accuracy...The introduction of ART DECO and mostly such artists as Bruce Goff, Rene Lalique, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Frank LLoyd Wright, Edgar Brandt, Claud W.Beelman, Albert Evers, Georges Kelham, Erte....allowed me to embrace a goal i am aiming to reach, splendour and perfection. Every logo i do is getting closer and closer to what i am aiming for. Mathematically it is like a Parabolic curve reaching the infinite, it will eventually touch the abscisse at an infinite point which would be regarded as the end of my career. So i am in constant development, exploring new patterns, being amazed by new discoveries every time i travel.
What are the tools most treasured by you for creating logos?
-That question can be divided in two fields, the pragmatic meaning and the ethereal mean of the word "tools"
The pragmatic tools are consisting of the medium i am using, straight pens like Edding (much cheaper than Rotring) and leading to the same effects, white A4 paper and a rigid support like my work folder, that is my small workstation i can take anywhere i want, anytime....and starting drawing logos even in the waiting room. However the inspiration can arise when i expect it the least, even in the middle of the night. It is unpredictable, when it comes, it is like a wave, i got to catch it and get carried away, it's like jumping on the train just before it leaves., that is leading to the second part of the question, the Ethereal tool like impression of people around me, state of mind, landscapes, architectural masterpieces like buildings (The Old Oakland Floral Depot in San Francisco by Albert J.Evers, The Boston Avenue Methodist Church in Tulsa, OK, the Buchanan Tea Rooms in Glasgow, The Daily Express Building on Fleet Street in London, The Horta House in Brussels, The Villino Broggi Caraceni in Florence, Italy, The Casa Batllo in Barcelona, Spain, the Acropolis in Athens, the Knossos Palace in Crete....there are so many to mension. Then places of Outstanding natural Beauty like the Yosemite Valley Park in Central California, the Colorado Canyon, The Desfiladero Rio Sella in the Cantabrian Range, North Spain, The Cascade Range in Oregon, The Carrantoohil and Connemara in Ireland, The Dolomites in Italy, Mount Olympos in Greece, the Lydford Gorge Waterfall and Cannonteign Falls in Dartmoor, literally next door to where i live....All these areas of outstanding beauty are essential to feed my inspiration, add on it the ambient soundscapes of Vinterriket or Oriental Music played with Iranian Santur, Arabic Oud, Middle Eastern Buzuq...and a veil of keyboards, giving you visions of crystal peaks unveiling behind a curtain of clouds...then you just open up your mind....and get in a state of EXALTATION and that exaltation is the MAIN tool to your creativity....that s why i find so hard to create logos indoor while if in the right environment, my creativity is simply unleashed.
Do you have any other kind of logo you would like to design? For ex for films, television clothing brands etc, what new ventures really interest you?
-I am actually in the middle of doing it, so far I already created a logo for a Ceramic company based in Telford called Teddy Madness Ceramics (www.myspace.com/jewels2106) , i executed logos for several clothing companies like Westmont Clothing, Casual Tees Clothing, Darkonic Clothing, Hail Gabe Clothing but so far only ONE of them adopted my logos and that is a MAJOR EVENT as DARKONIC clothing will be the FIRST clothing company EVER to have thousands of custom clothes like T-shirts, jackets, surfwear, hoodies branded with a Christophe Szpajdel Logo. I NEVER heard any feedback from any of the other clothing companies, so i assume they have chosen another artist to do their company logo. I also created logos for 2 modelling companies like Doomaxe Modelling and Eternus Obscurum where Art Deco perfectly did its result as both logos are used with pride. I also created a genuine machine age logo for www.machinehistories.com but it bever got used. I also created a logo for a movie Company called diabolical Film company but after i finished the logo, i got a great feedback and then moths have passed since i heard from the company. I am doing everything to prove that i am polyvalent and capable to provide quality art not only for individuals related in the metal scene but also para-musical companies you mantioned and personal names, tattoo logos for people who have NOTHING to do with music, catapulting me in a completely new domain of perspectives. That is part of the challenge! Innovating, reaching a wide variety of crowds is what i am actively looking for. I do not want to be eternally "landlocked" within the barriers of metal, i am striving to prove i am able to comminicate with individuals who NEVER EVER heard about metal and come up with a BESPOKE logo!
What challenges have you faced in your work?
-Competition: I discovered there are HUNDREDS of extremely skilled artists like Industrie Chimere Noire, Dance Macabre Tattoos, Ba'al Graphics, MetalJet, BloodMoon Ausar, D.Desecrator, Chris Moyen, Kris Verwimp, Baron Darkness, Granath, Arroganz Art, Deviant Logos, WyrmRot Art, Haatzaaie Logos, Destroyer Designs, Jaromir, Stephan (www.myspace.com/stephanartiste) who create absolutely jaw dropping masterpieces of supreme craftmanship that exceeds any levels of Imagination. Through MySpace i came accross some of the most clever artists you could ever imagine who create grand masterpiece logos like for example the Scythian logo(www.myspace.com/scythiandeath) that are paragons of superiority. Do you know that such UNKNOWN and obscure bands like Revolution Within got 35 different artists including myself who designed logos and it took them 2 months to go through all the 35 logos submitted, so HARD was the choice, they finally opted for a logo done by a local, long date friend of theirs. Have you seen the brandnew logo of In Thy Flesh (Portugal) or the brand new logo of Pagan Hammer by Daniel Desecrator? It is on their split album with Nox Eternus (that is another "Deco" logo i am very proud of). Absolutely superior than mine, which was used on their debut demo....So really anyone thinking i am the Lord Of Logos should take a long look around because there are some amazing artists who are completely underrated and some of them are the most clever people that got the genius to create a logo that works fulgurantly and that will fascinate from every side you look at....Ph look at the logo Chris Moyen created for Loss.....I feel suddenly bleak!
Time frames: Some artists are able to twist a superb logo in NO time, that means less than 1 hour in one go, with an attention to detail such acute that you would not even find any slight defect using a magnifying glass to look at the logo,so perfect their lining is....It is very very difficult to stand out from other artists, believe me. However, I don't know so far any metal artist using ART DECO or ART NOUVEAU architectural methods. Simply LOTS of Artists who draw for metal bands will use mainly Heroic Fantasy and Ancient History/Medieval patterns rather than modernist approaches.
Exernal disturbances: Being disturbed in my environment by people, weather changes like it happened this summer contributed tio caiuse delays in achieving some of my logos
Difficulties in finding the right place where i could draw a logo in continuity as i use a lot of the sirect sunlight to create my artworks, some of my favorite places are Lyme regis, Belle-Isle Park in Exeter, Holne Woods, Wistmans Woods (The Snot Forest) and Lydford Gorge in Dartmoor...and sometimes they are hard to reach on time
Could you describe for us your creative process?
-First is exchanging several emails with a band, trying to find what they want, getting known their music, then using external sources of inspiration like books, architecture, nature, travelling, visitting places...that is when i am working on the pencil, sketching rough drafts, then from the rough draft, working on the pencil, finding the right symetry, for that i use the ruler and the newly acquired architect drawing board, then the royring to do the outlining, chosing the right lines to make the pre-final shape of the logo, then the filling with a thick marker or ink, then detailing, using 0.1mm pens to create all the final effects, and making the logo as impactive possible. It is the final touch which is concocted on another day than the filling which is the most important and I feel it imperative doing under direct sunlight and in a strictly undisturbed area,
What are some of the biggest compliments you have received for you work?
-The biggest compliments for my art i got from Dale Crawford from deadlocked In Misery who is simply ecstatic, he even mentioned "Your art is like a Giant among Ants" or "Sporting a Christophe Szpajdel Logo should be regarded as driving a Ferrari), very important motivation and encouragement i got from Herlaka who became my manager and second half. Her role is now essential in filtering the requests, which bands should e considered and which other should be turned down. I would say the best compliments are the one made by CRITICAL people who have a critical approach to my work, a great example is Martin from Ba'al Graphics who in fact has been a major boost to improve my creativity, constantly looking for new ideas. The compliments made by critical people are the most profitable as they teach you on your mistakes.
Unfortunately a lot of people who were doing compliments to me until they got their logo disappeared and ditched my logo for getting the logo of another artist. I came a cross several "groping" bands who contacted many artists , all the time getting a new logo on every release they get. I will not mention their names but they first approach you with "Hey you, i am a fan of your work, can you do a logo for us" and then i found out they did the same with several other artists i am in contact with.
What aspiration as an artist is the most important to you?
-Now it would be to spend MOST of my time creating logos and travelling, going round the world and getting to know places, which are very unknown, far from the mass tourism, making my own itinerary and making most of the friends i got to know on the net, when travelling, i can rely on places offered by them, like it was the case in California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oregon very shortly but also Portugal where i have been offered a place to stay on Many Occasions. Making new friends by networking is the most interesting way to connect with like minded people amd that is something amazing, that rejoins a bit the next question you are asking me.
How do you feel you have been blessed personally embracing the life of an artist?
-The way i can impress people and be notices not by possessing a material thing but possessing an intrinsic talent for art and a way to perceive different matters when communicating with nature. Art is for me a way of expression, a way how i can get hold of feelings and translate them on paper. Being upset of frustrated had allowed me to create some the most depressive logos like Open Wounds, Lyrinx, Suffer Despair, Hordes Of Hate, Apparitia, Chasma...
Do you feel the internet has contributed to the promotion of your art?
-Definitely yes, the internet allowed me to connect with bands i always wanted to work with and having an official page on myspace contributed to reach clients i would never be able to reach without it. I managed to create a huge fanbase in America, Far East and especially NEW ZEALAND, a place i am particularly fascinated with... So really, the internet has been a major boost to get my art known worldwide.
Do you feel the internet has a negative influence on art? Is it today is it more and more being viewed as a commodity?
-Unfortunately yes, it is now so easy to download pictures and to edit it with photoshop, take off the signature and pretend it is made by yourself. Cheating is now something very common and stealing other's ideas, compile them with pro-tools and creating a fusion of it is now so easy. Internet is unfortunately becoming a commodity for many "pretenders" who think they are the saviours of the scene. A lot of people locked themselves in a virtual world where they feel in a state of false equilibrium, thinking they are omnipotent and can give themselves the most powerful and fearsome appearance while in reality, they are just tiny unsignificant humans like every common mortal. With the internet you can make people believe you are a super creature while in reality....you are just a normal human. You can create the most surrealistic profile ever, making people believe you are somewhere between Charybdis and Scylla for example.
You also like to travel, could you take a moment to tell us of your recent journeys? And also are there any countries you have not yet visited but look forward to?
-My most recent Journeys were to California where i visitted Mount Shasta, Shasta Lake, Whiskey Town Lake, The Yosemite Valley Park, Pacheco Pass, San Francisco, Chico, Sacramento, Vallejo, it has been a fantastic adventure where i managed to combine nature and metal bands like Blood Of Cain, Fallon, Blasphemous Creation...Then New Jersey and Pennsylvania where i visitted the Delaware Valley Park, Philadelphia, fetching some amazing shows like the Autumn Equinox (Amazing performances of Kult Ov Azazel featuring Imperial Of Krieg, Nightbringer, Witch Tomb, Tribulation, Havohej) and such bands as Sil Veth (www.myspace.com/silveth), Annunaki (www.myspace.com/annunakiband), Lethean, The Green Evening Requiem (Art Nouveau Metal), Nefarious (Art Deco oriented Speed metal) that really amazed me massively...The time i am answering this interview, i am just back from my trip to Oregon, where i did attend several shows like the Northwestern Terror with such amazing bands as Tormentium, Ceremonial Castings, Infernus, the Valley of The Wolves with such amazing bands as Deathsaw, Witchaven, GoatSoldiers a. o. , also a stunning down tempo/ "Depressiv'Moderne" night with Ninth Moon Black, Woven and Nanda Devi at the Twilight Bar. Besides that, my busy schedule included the Ascension of Mount Hood and the Timberline Lodge, amazing place, Eugene and the west edge ofThe Cascade Range, the Oregon coast with Depoe Bay, the smallest navigable haven on the pacific west coast, an interview on KMPT Pop Talk Radio Show based mostly on Art Deco and my contribution to introduce its visuals in the music/metal scene. Due to ongoing issues with the public transport, i was forced to scrap off Eastern Oregon, The Crater Lake, Mount St Helens, Cascadia and several other locations of outstanding interest. I am truly bummed about that.
Next Year, i am intending to visit Texas, Florida, North Carolina, The Appalachians, The Midwest, Southern California but also Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, Australia....
You are a graduate of agronomy; your love of nature has obviously had a great influence on what you do, do you feel you could articulate for us how exactly it inspires you?
-In fact, Nature and the whole concept based on "The Cult Of Nature", main subject of Art Nouveau, and especially Rene Lalique, Daum/Nancy, Louis Majorelle, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Louis Sullivan, Victor Horta, Hector Guimard, Emile Galle. All these artists i just mentioned have in their vein the fascination for nature and wildlife. So i have it acquired since i was a toddler. My passion for Nature and for the Obscure side of Music and Art were both early stimulators to my creativity. You perhaps saw some of my logos have floral motives, geometrical forms, historical motives or Assyrian/Hellenic/Roman/Egyptian/Precolombian ornaments, which are themselves evolved of natural forms. Art Nouveau and Art Deco helped me a lot to capture and emphasize the precision of my pen at work. The ideas of such artists i just mentioned above are perfectly merging with mine, so the cult of nature is something that has been exalted throughout the entire history and very specially the Celts and the entire Art Nouveau movement which has been a major source of inspiration to my creativity. The exact knowledge of anatomy, both Animal and Vegetal, as the characteristics i studied during my spare time (Yes, i am definitely extremely fascinated by Herpetology, Entomology, Ornithology... and ecology in General since i was a small kid) became a major tool of work when i my art matured over the last years. My fascination to wildlife had in some point a direct impact on my creativity, especially while creating logos on "themed" bands like Cervus Nebulae from Italy. Their self-produced debut CD "The Cult Of nature" captures perfectly what such artists as Michelazzi or Lalique or Tiffany created over a hundred years ago.
For the first time you have recently begun charging for logos, what has the reaction to this been like?
-When i started to charge, the number of successful commissions plummeted drastically. 99 percent of the bands dropped off and turned to very cheap and quick artists who were able to twist up a logo in no time. I noticed that bands who suddenly stop corresponding with me had next day a fairly good logo done by someone else. I started facing a terrible competition and lots of the commissions i took were re-instated to other artists in my back...and the basic rate of 50 dollars (30 pounds) is a bargain if you consider artworks by someone who has a historical meaning in the metal culture over the last 20 years. It is obvious and clear, you pay for the brand, but sometimes a "Shop's own brand" product can be much more competitive than any of the leading brands on the market. This apply to artists in the underground as well.
What bands have really captivated your imagination?
-I will tell you....WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, WOVEN, NINTH MOON BLACK, I SHALT BECOME, APPARITIA (www.myspace.com/chamberofsilents), CHASMA, KROHM, TRISTE, XASTHUR, LEVIATHAN, VINTERRIKET, VELVET CACOON, NOKTURNE, GLOROR BELLI, HIEMS, TRONUS ABYSS are some of the bands who really make my soul travel and explore new domains, allowing me to reach further limits in my eternal quest to perfect my Depressiv'Moderne style, which is so dear to me. These bands are on my top friends for some very particular reasons i cannot explain in this question.
Do you have musical ambitions?
Yes, i have several ambitions, i would like to develop some of them. I even have created a file entitled "Projects related to myself". Unfortunately, due to a serious lack of time, i had no chance to work on any of them, which is a shame, because i really wanted them to become reality and to be a musical picture of what i had in mind for a long time
-JAH BROIE DU NOIR is a very strange concept based on the fantasies of Aubrey Beardsley with such titles as "La Beale Isoud poisonna Sir Tristram with the Elixir of Lust", "Le Morte Darthur", "Entreating Myrrhina to Mortal Coition", "Messalina, Empress of Carnal Lusts" and even one song denouncing the drift of the british today's wasteful society "I dance on Vicky Pollard's Grave (And all her wanna-be best friends)". I even was starting writing lyrics for that band which would consist only and exclusively on Jah (endless moanings, all strings of torture, throat cuttings) and Lord Miseryguts (Hammer of hate and Hellforgery of Doom). It would be mid paced old school black metal with a strong misanthropic edge and a deliberately negative feel.
-BRIDGEND: Yes, the mythical place where all frustrated emo-kids should keep committing suicide collectively and highlight the headline news. That would be an idea for a project called BRIDGEND. I already created a logo for something that would sound like SILENCER, SHINING, TRISTE, BETHLEHEM, ABYSSIC HATE. It would be clear that the slogan "Save the planet, kill yourself would be spot on for that concept.
-MORMYR. Very slow funeral doom, with some drone sounds, a bit inspired by Grief, Isis, Lugubrum, Sourvein, Mournful Congregation but with much more heavy riffs and the inclusion of middle-eastern buzuk, turkish saz, arabic oud and Iranian/Persian santur. Some arabic darbuqa would be added at times to enhance the middle-eastern feel throughout each song.Mormyr is something i was very looking forward as the logical continuation of the now defunct ASHENTHIUM.
-THE GREY ROOM would be the ultimate "Depressiv'Moderne" musical incarnation of what my pen is longing for. Very much down tempo and hypnotic, comparable to WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM and strongly inspired APPARITIA, I SHALT BECOME, KROHM, TRISTE. Practically no vocals but accoustic and semi accoustic guitars but also curtains of hypnotic keyboards like on the three "Mountains" concepts albums of Vinterriket but also church organs to enhance the whole structure of the logo i already created.
SYNANCEA would be a harsh ambient peoject with inclusion of very sharp vocals and oppressive keyboards as well as carnivoracious guitar riffs devouring you from inside. It would be the same effect like if you had stepped on a stone fish (Synanceia verrucosa). So you can see, i have several musical ambitions in store, but my lack of time rendered them impossible to come to a true existence. They are still waiting for someone who could perfectly put in music my conceptual visions. Anyone interested?
What kind of cultures and typefaces really inspire you when designing logos? Are you often surprised yourself sometimes at what influences you?
-As i probably mentioned before, i went very inspired by the Assyrian cultures, the Middle-Easern cultures, even the Arabic culture, the Greek culture of nowadays, the Balkanic culture, the Oriental Culture, the Pre-Colombian cultures in Latin-America and the Maritime cultures all around the world, inclusive the british culture. Everything that surrounded me directly had been a precious source of inspiration and that happened everytime i was not expecting it at all. The world is full of surprises and the things you expect the least are in fact turning to be the greatest. So in fact i am incredibly surprised what can influence me at times.
Do you feel differently about the metal scene today from when you first became interested in metal? Or is it still as exciting?
-My feelings have changed a lot, everything is now much too transparent, too easy to access, to mundane. Back in the middle of the 80's i was excited everyday when looking in my mailbox and finding such gems as the first demos of Necrovore (Mutilated Death), Asphyx (Enter The Domain), Revenant, Deceased (Death By Radiation), Morbid Angel (Thy Kingdom Come), Immolation, Mortem, Morgoth, Mutilator (Immortal Force album...what a gem!) or Amputation (Pre-Immortal) promo tape...or some very obscure gems like Dead Conspiracy (Portland, OR), or a paper fanzine like ZAST who in fact was written way before SAMOTH joined Emperor (IN that time Samoth shared his guttural death/necro-grind fascinations in XERASIA and EMBRIONIC). I remember the crazy times in the late 80's when i was writing for a local fanzine based in Belgium called SEPTICORE and doing crazy artworks for the zine and the Compilation (Ah Mon bon vieux Jean Thomas (Thierry "Necrovomit" Prince), que de beaux souvenirs! You must have been acquainted with his dedication to all sort of so intensely supreme NECRO death metal) Ah, only thinking about these bygone times when winters were cold and snowy spark me a smile...but also shed me a tear. These times i am so nostalgic of are unfortunately gone. Tape-trading was a rule and that was what helped to spread bands names. The CD was hardly about to enter the market, everything was on vinyl or tape. Record-shopping was a real pleasure and searching for an item, you could bump on another gem like Torture's ultra-rare ep "Terror Kingdom" on vinyl. The excitement was phenomenal by them because you needed to be in the right circles to get hold of these items.
What are the good and bad points of something like myspace with the metal scene?
-The good points on myspace is that i could retrieve a lot of people i have lost contact with for many years. Some of them are people i have not heard from for over ten years. That is amazing. Also, due to several webdesigners who failed with the creation of a proper webdomain for me and all the hassle of having a domain.com site, i took the matter in my own hands and made of my myspace page my official website where people can view hundreds of logos now. It is for me no problem to keep it updated on a regular basis, uploading not only logos but also pictures i am taking. Through my own page, i managed to be reached by many people who were wondering where they could view logos created by myself. The answer is here. Myspace helped me massively to connect with some really interesting bands/individuals/companies and to reach a huge fanbase overseas, especially in the USA. That helped me massively for my visits in the USA with people's places to stay at and gigs i could attend during each stay. About my official website, you are just looking at it. Look no further, log on: www.myspace.com/christopheszpajdel and www.myspace.com/suffimmor.
Now everything has been made easy with all these mp3 that only cause a major leakage in the scene as any frustrated emo-kid can download on the internet.
Because of the tremendous requests and a great deal of undesirables like spammers and time-wasters, i was forced to install filters and set my page as private.
I think the internet has ruined not only the metal community but also the entire society as now people can give themselves the image they want. They can be heroes in their virtual e-world while in reality, they are perhaps the worst scoundrels and liars the world has ever spawned
You are very disciplined with the way you work, especially when meeting requests, have you developed your way of working over a number of years now?
-I certainly did, and since i has been approached a few years ago by Herlaka who is now helping me in filtering the logo requests and negociating the deals, approaching medias for a possible promotion, etc, my discipline had a need to be increased. Work on schedules is the key of the success. For example some days, i spend the time online, discussing with all the bands/companies who approached me. There is always a need to exchange some messages before even touching the paper. With some clients I know exactly the right thing that will click but with some others, i spend too much time in finding out what they want as every rough sketch i submit is declined...i really need to move on quickly with some. As a customer service assistant in my regular job, i know how to deal with queues and who knows exactly what is expected and who is still wandering about. With me, there's no messing around, i will always prioritize with people who click perfectly at first glance. It's simple, love it or hate it but theres no in between! If you love it, take it and it's yours for the rest of your life. If you hate it, fair enough i'm sure you wil find your way in this jungle world of competition! People who are helpful and really fascinated by my work will be thrilled when they will hold a piece of my art in their hands and these people are motivating me to push it further. I do appreciate constructive criticism and such skilled artists as Medan Savamhel from Ba'al Graphics has been a priceless help to improve my working policy in regards of meeting my schedules.
You are a great admirer of Aubrey Beardsley man who was so dangerously ahead of his time, yet like Egon Scheile he is another artist whose life tragically was cut short. Do you think maybe this man achieved so much in such a short time period that his genius was not meant for this world?
-Aubrey Beardsley has had a significant meaning in my artwork, because as myself, he was one of the most prolific illustrator in his time and i found something like my own identity already forged in him. Exactly like him, with the introduction of Art Deco and Art Nouveau in the extreme metal scene, i am dangerously ahead of my time and lots of my art deco logos have been criticized or underappreciated by the "conservatives" in the scene. Another artist who i find dangerously ahead of his time is Lou Rusconi who is also with me in the book "Logos From Hell" but also a rather unknown artist, Clarke who did some really haunting works, which were the Dark Side of Art Deco. Clarke was inspired by Bearsley but took a much darker approach exploring real horror and unconventional matters.
Could you tell us about your love for calligraphy?
-Calligraphy has been always a passion to me and there were several type fonts which captivated my attention like all the Old English, Medieval, Art Nouveau, Oriental, Middle-Eastern (Including Israeli), Asiatic, Art Nouveau and Art Deco fonts while browsing through books. I liked Celtic fonts a lot but there were not mainly what my attention was focused on. Other artists like Kris Verwimp ventured in the Celtic fonts much more than i do.
You have been resident in England since 2002 other than career reasons what appealed to you about the United Kingdom? I have noticed you have visited such mythical places as tintagel amongst others, do you like it here? And also what do you miss about Belgium?
-It is clear that i applied to several jobs online and it happened that one day i was called for an interview which went successful. On the first few months, the employer helped me with accomodation in-site of the work place, which helped me to settle slowly but surely in Warwickshire. After five years there, i felt the need for a new start and ventured down south in Devon. Luckily my transfer, something i was extremely looking forward went successful and the transition went not as smoothly as i expected. I had to wait several weeks before moving to the new address due to the incompetence of the estate agent and my moving of place was scaled in a schedule of several weeks due to the discontinuity of help transportwise. I had to take most of my belongings seperately when someone was driving from Leamington to Plymouth, dropping them at my now current address and the rest i had to take it by train. Tintagel has been a major inspiration to create some logos like ARTORIUS which has been created entirely within the wall of Kings Artur Castle. Also i do lots of hiking in Dartmoor and Cornwall, which is just a few hours bus from where i am residing now, Exeter. I am really satisfied with the situation i am in right now as all the location of oustanding interest are at reach anytime i need. I miss a little bit of Belgium as there are always some great tours which do not include Britain. I miss in particular the great cult shows in Germany with such bands as Desaster, Ninslaughter and Destroyer 666 all together. That was legendary!
You are very fond of the depressive/suicidal Black metal sub genre that has emerged in recent years, a lot of the logos you have created for bands of this style have complimented their sound so well, what can you tell us about this?
-With the recently acquired "maitrise" of my very own "Depressiv'Moderne" art style i defined myself, i found myself a "privileged" niche within the Depressive Black Metal and Dark Ambient sub-genre. The combination of withering trees, curves, straight lines with grim shades, nooses, crying faces perfectly fit with the whole concept of sadness, depression, loneliness, pensiveness....and that connects in some points with my own person as i find a great deal of myself in that subgenre. Bands that really inspired me in my quest for honing my "Depressiv'Moderne" style are Apparitia, I Shalt Become, Krohm, Wolves In The Throne Room, Caliginosity and the visual that perfectly accompanied these mournful sounds was Bruce Alonzo Goff (1930) but also partly Timothy Pflueger.
What feelings do the works of William van Alen create in you?
-William Van Alen created the perfect way how to do well-balanced logos, using elements of art deco, including geometrical forms and floral motives. He opened various gateways in reaching a state of perfection in "organizing" and "cleanliness" of the motive. His art allowed me to put on paper some logos which are at the same time original, extremely organized and clear. On top of it, William Van Alen allowed me to take my art to much higher spheres and to create logos which are monumental, subjugating, majestic. If you look at the logos i created for The Mark Of Pariah, Memoirs of A Drowned Angel, The Grey Room, Throne To The Apostle, you can see the impact of his visions on my artistic evolution.
In what way do more figurative artists inspire you? I think your mark making is very identifiable a lot like handwriting.
-Stylised geometrical forms used in Architecture, Streamlining, Zigzags, Chevrons, Ziggurat-Shaped ornaments are integrant part of the figurative part of art deco that inspired me. Recently, i also experimented cubism, vorticism, De Stijl in the elaboration of logos for "Experimental" bands like Velvet Underwear, Philaretordre which are born in the late 90's in the Belgian capital Brussels. That is something i am looking to take further as both bands/artists i mentioned are people i grew with during my teens and who moved from the metal scene towards the experimental side of "post-metal". There are at the moment very few kind of "prototype" sorts of logos i am trying to experiment. "Depressiv'Moderne" logos seem to be quite more successful as the popular demand demonstrate it in sufficence. This modernist approach involved recently the acquisition of a genuine Architect drawing board to reach a certain level of perfection i couldn't reach if i kept working freehand. That is what i d 'like to call the co-evolution related to the use of such tools as templates, rulers and as i mentioned before, an architect drawing board. One thing is sure, i feel very reticent from using the computers and i wish to continue doing logos using solely my hands, the tools being just a help for creating balanced logos with a sense of symmetry or mathematical logic. I tried to work on logos using random lines but alas, they were unsuccessful so far.
What other interests and projects are you currently busy with?
-As i probably mentioned to you in several conversations, studying Art Deco, Art Nouveau, History, travelling as much as i can, wildlife watching. Most important is the organization of my time and the need to tighten the belt on the day schedule matter. Even if i get started at 6.30 am no matter if i work or not, i fel that need to be extremely organized and to divide my daily planning between my regular job as customer service assistant at the store i work, working on logos (that involves one day catching on paper the ideas that flow through my head, outlining the pre-definitive shapes of the logos, finishing logos (Again i must mention i work on a scheduled method), but also replying messages (and things get really tough when the access on the internet is very slow, reducing my efficiency...i limit the time on the internet to a maximum of 2 hours a week to be able to concentrate on my "logo duties". So at te end of the day, i have practicly no time left for honing my interests in wildlife and nature conservation, psychology and architecture unless i need the sources for the creation of a certain logo. I also look to increase my selection in taking commissions which really interest me...but also i am aware of "love rats" in the scene.
What keeps you motivated when things get tough?
-First, the passion for my own art and the evolution of it, the need to open new doorways and improve on my mistakes. Things are getting tough when i need to answer lots of messages urgently and the connection fails and i know i MUST meet deadlines. Many bands have lost their patience because i have been taking too long to get a logo done. A band wil generally wait a week or two and then move to someone else if they don't get the logo they want in time. I had lost several important commissions that way and that is the part where i find myself not disciplined enough. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of "Love rats" in the scene that deserve to appear in a special feature called "Metal got love rats" inspired by "Britain got talents". I call "Love rats" these bands who like Zeus kept messaging me for a logo and once i was done with it, they used someone else's logo and deleted me from their friends list, thinking i am no longer making sense for them. Several other dishonest clients have been caught doing this and that is something i am not forgiving...never!
Do you sometimes worry that you will have tobegin managing your art as a buisness?
-Well, this is what i am looking at very seriously as i want to put more time in the prime thing of my life, my logo involvement. I would love to make of my art my one and only full time job, as long as i am able to make of it a regular income, which is far from being reached at the moment. Me and Herlaka are discussing these issues and Stephan came with the idea to draft a proper contract with each band i do the logo for. So i do worry often about managing my art as a full time business that will pay my wages as self-employed. The transition is to my concern, much too slow and i would really love to move it forward very quickly and not worry anymore about my Customer Service Assistant job...but on the other hand, that CSA job has been incredibly helpful regarding dealing with issues and dissatisfied customers. Because answering the messages is part of Customer Service. Remember: "Good with logos, great with service". Being monitored on the "Customer promise" is something priceless when it goes to dealing with requests from bands, scheduling the commissions and working through the most appropriate "queue order".
Could you talk about your latest series of logos and what you are trying to achieve with them?
-The Depressiv'Moderne logos are aiming to demonstrate how aesthetics of streamlining, geometrical shapes, zigzags and art deco structures when merging with the sounds of down tempo/dark amnient could combine to produce something visually and intellectually oppressive, dominating, monumental that would actually recreate the whole visual suggested by the hypnotizing sounds and moods developed in the music style i mentioned. Just think of that menacing tower or giant that moves slowly but surely, towards you....and you know you have no chance of escape. Depressiv'Moderne, is simply a way i made myself through to create my very own trademark. Besides that, with the same ease, i still can go ahead with traditional black/death metal logos but i fel the greatest pleasure when working on a logo where i can use late 20's Art Deco masterpieces as main source of inspiration. There are even logos like "Ninth Moon Black" or "Mares of Diomedes" where i worked in association with another artist, Stephan (www.myspace.com/stephanartiste) who drafted the initial sketch and me leading the work to a final stage. The Art Deco inspired logos proved to be something at the same time innovative, original and visually pleasing for openminded people...but unfortunately underappreciated by the oh so numerous conservatists.
Have you visited any good concerts recently?
-I went recently to a string of local concerts in Oregon, inclusing Portland and Eugene. Bands that really stole my heart are Nanda Devi (www.myspace.com/nandadevipdx), Ninth Moon Black, Woven (www.myspace.com/wovenmusic) who totally impressed me on stage as on CD, Tormentium (www.myspace.com/tormentium), Soulscythe, Deathsaw, Goat Soldiers, Ceremonial Castings, Witchaven. On top of it, i visited a last minute gig with the legends OVER KILL, supported by Warbringer who really appealed to my taste with their demential, criminally insane thrash metal straight from hell!
Do you hope to revive metal Kiosk promotions in the future?
-This is something i am possibly looking at but not on my own. That passion has financially ruined me completely and i do not feel to get this restarted again. Promoting a gig involved me lots of stress and severe financial losses i am not feeling to do it again. I would love to give full support to the metal scene in any way possible but the poor attendance to underground gigs is the thing that is putting me off from doing it. also the logo duties are taking way too much time to allow me to run underground shows, not mentioning issues with venues that are subject to cancel an event on a last minute due to a loss of their licence or another major event that would bring more profit to them. So the future of Metal Kiosk is not looking bright at all at the moment....certainly not promising with the severe economical depression we are going through right now. There are no chance of reviving Metalkiosk at the moment but why not in the future...it is your support that will determine.
What advice would you give to young artists working within the metal scene?
-First, is to work on very selected bands, first take time to improve. I actually met one very young Logo artist while in Oregon, Washington, it's Cooper who plays in several bands like Black Chariot (Black metal), Deviant Lord (Art Nouveau metal), Funeral Rain (Depressive black metal), Spear Induced Carnage (Brutal death metal with a hint of black metal) and Freak Of Nature (Great classic seventies rock with a metal edge, it is his Dad's band)...It is very important to not do too many thing at the time but to focus on one and find your "niche" in the scene, where do you feel you get the best results. Some artists are specialized in the brutal gore genre, other are specialized in Esoteric, others are purely inspired by Heroic Fantasy...it is very important to have a field where you specialize. Other thing, you must imeratively seeing it as a passion and NOT as a business. the scene has countless of extremely talented artists and some of them are so extensive that their work is sought-after through the four corners of the world.
Do you have any formal artistic training? Or qualifications?
-I did had tutorial at school since i was very young as my parents were very attentive to my phenomenal talents since i was toddler. They understood that art would become one of my main way of expression. So during school years i started to score the best rates and i was myself interested to pursue an art school. My qualification are in Forestry and Biology engineering, which drained a lot of my time and potential to another direction and now i am a bit regretting i did listen to my parents when they rather discouraged to go to an art school and superior university. I think i should have gone in the Art direction and use Biology as spare time...My knowledge in Zoology was one of the indicator for my parents to push me in the scientific direction rather than the artistic direction. So the artistic training i had was mostly at school and by myself but recently when i was in Oregon, i spent a few days with Stephan who gave me lots of tips and tricks how to improve the Art Deco feel....especially when it goes to draw faces and profiles. Art Deco has some very important characteristics you can see in the drawings of Lepape, Erte...and Stephan spent lots of time drafting faces and showing me how i could improve. I learned with his comany in just a few days what i would need several months to learn it by myself.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
-Probably in Oregon, owning a private mini-jet that could fly over the Atlantic in one go (laughs), so i could meet one client in Stockholm in the morning, another in Paris in the afternoon and a third in Madrid on the evening and next day fly to New York to set up for the next New York World's Fair...and who knows in 2025 i would take part as the 2025 Exposition International des Arts Decoratifs et Modernes wherever it would be held. (lol). I am kidding, this sound pretty much of utopia but if someone would push me in the right direction on the right monent this could definitely happen. Anyone interested to sponsor me (haha)?
Lastly, thank you for taking the time and thoughts to answer our questions. You may conclude this interview with whatever words you wish.
-First off, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to you, Karl for having conducted the most interesting interview i ever had through my entire career. It's been my greatest pleasure to answer your -sometimes tricky- but overall extremely mind boosting questions. I apologize for the time i took in finishing this interview, in between logos, trips and other duties across the world...sorry again for the delay. Also i d like to thank everyone who had the patience to read this lengthy interview, understanding now more wher i come from and where i am aiming for. Last but not least, i d'like to express my apologies for everyone who has been waiting for a piece of my art for a very long time now, you will not been forgotten, i just have been extremely busy and dealing with lots of issues. To anyone interested in a logo or a piece of my art, i am open to discuss commissions with you and negociate some great deals but please, before contacting me with a request, please take the time to look throughout my official webpage which is www.myspace.com/christopheszpajdel.
No comments:
Post a Comment