The Ol’ Coot… art print

Last year I got asked if I wanted to participate in a poster commission for a group of print collectors. Aside from keeping it secret and keeping the majority of the prints exclusive to the group I was given creative freedom to “do what I do”. This actually became an odd request as I realized due to the nature of pumping out gigposters for years it had been a while since I was able to do what I do, for me. I remembered a little character that popped up in various sketchbooks over time and decided this was a great opportunity to finally flesh it out.

I present the “Ol’ Coot“. A creature of nature & his own time who seems to have his true priorities in order, something of which many of us are struggling with. A feeling of enjoying the moment… enjoying the music…. & enjoying the company of others.

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I worked on this during the peak of the pandemic which made some communication and access to supplies hard and dragged the project out for months. That being said, I was happy to finally work on something I could spend my time on and not feel rushed.

“Ol’ Coot – Moonshine foil” variant

“Ol’ Coot – Keyline foil” variant

Backside Press handled the print here in Atlanta and really knocked it out of the park. Along with the regular edition I knew folks wanted variants but instead of the traditional foils, etc. I wanted to do something that fit the vibe of the image,.. something a bit more rustic.

We decided to print a small run on wood panels and metal and enlisted the help of local talented sign maker Nate of QHJ Design to “age” and rust them for me. All this was kind of a new process for all of us involved and Im stoked with how it came out.

“Ol’ Coot – Wood” variant

“Ol’ Coot – Moonshine metal” variant

“Ol’ Coot – Aged metal” variant

These days most folks are so caught up in the pristine nature of their prints that they spend most of the time hidden away in a flat file somewhere. I approached these metal prints as a kind of “anti-gigposter”. Something that you can kick the shit out of and keep in the rain for 20 years and ideally it will continue to build character.