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vis-ed:
andrew pommier
Delving inside the figurative fantasies of a shy Canadian skateboarder.
Words: vivian host Images: andrew pommier
above:
“...and out came the sparrows”
RIGHT:
Exclusive piece for XLR8R Vis-Ed
Andrew Pommier likes to draw bunnies, sparrows, and
people wearing animal heads. And more often than not,
they’re smoking. Seems pretty weird for someone whose
favorite saying is “never smoke,” but this Canadian is a
study in contradictions. He and his younger brother–skate
photographer Scott Pommier–were raised in the comparatively
little mining town of Sudbury in Ontario,
Canada but their work has been all over the world, from
the pages of Thrasher and Transworld (Scott) to shows in
Italy, Australia, and New York (Andrew). And though
skate graphics often convey toughness through hackneyed
metal clichés (skulls, hesh fonts, monsters), Pommier’s
art for skate companies like Toy Machine, RVCA, and
Momentum is often touching, with renderings of Ed
Templeton hugging an owl and Rick McCrank screaming
in a squid outfit.
Many of these graphics–along with Pommier’s signature,
saucer-eyed indie kids–can be found in Things I
Don’t Remember, published last November by the UK’s
Holy Water. “The book draws from the past nine years of
sketchbook drawings, paintings (both watercolor and oil),
and a smattering of the commercial work I have done,”
says Pommier. “I really like that I could include a lot of
sketchbook stuff because I love it when I get to see how
other artists get their initial ideas. Sketches pull back the
curtain a little.”
Following his May show, The Parallel Campaign, with
Derrick Hodgson at Los Angeles’ Lab 101 gallery, we
caught up with this soft-spoken 31-year-old back home in
Vancouver. He advised us to stay humble and, of course,
never smoke.
www.andrewpommier.com, www.holy-water.co.uk
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