Steven Burke, guest artist
Every season, Bask in the Sun collaborates with artists for its series of printed tees shirts. For our Spring Summer 2016 collection, Steven Burke, also known as Lucky Left Hand signed an original design on a series of products. An opportunity to ask him a few questions.
In a few words. Who are you? Where are you from?
Steven Burke, graphic designer. I was born in Germany and moved back and forth between there and France until I came of age, before landing in Bordeaux. I stayed on to study visual communications and now live in Seignosse, in the Landes region of France.
I heard you worked with Takashi Murakami. In what context?
Yes, it's been a while, I worked for him in his NewYork studio in 2003, operating on several of his canvases.
What did you learn from him?
Many things, including great rigor, dexterity and a very broad vision of the applied arts.
You've been seen painting on tree trunks, armchairs, helmets and car doors. Is it the medium that inspires your drawings and messages, or vice versa?
It depends, but it's often the object that guides me. I need to have a certain legitimacy in my work, a link between cause and effect, so I listen to the object to find out what it has to say, and try to respond to it and move in its direction.
Your drawings are accompanied by messages. Do you feel that a drawing alone wouldn't be enough?
Yes, I think a drawing can stand on its own, but it's true that I often add a message, which must be a professional communication reflex.
Your new project is called Fleurke. What does it involve?
My wife and I want to develop handcrafted products in limited series. We're still in the early stages and the project will evolve according to our desires, so I can't tell you much more at the moment 😉
Finally, what does the design for Bask in the Sun represent?
It doesn't have a precise meaning, and that's what I like about it. I'm satisfied with a drawing when I've succeeded in conveying my initial intention, and when, in the end, it can take on several, often subjective, meanings. For this drawing, my intention was to underline how lucky I am to have met Fanny, my partner, and the happiness that comes with it.
