Lots of folks seemed keenly interested in the Heroes of Burgertown mini-figures shown in my little profile here at ToyWhimsy (see picture below), so we decided it's time to educate the masses a bit on the man behind Burgertown. If you've been to IKEA, flown Virgin Airlines, or drank a can of Pepsi in the last couple years, you may already be familiar with the work of Nottingham-based artist, Jon Burgerman. Jon's doodles adorn clothes, housewares, and of course, tons and tons of toys.
Jon's work speaks to the powerful reality of what constitutes a canvas to today's artists: anything! We are living in a culture of customization, so why not draw on sneakers, belts, umbrellas, and skateboards? Jon has been doodling around the world since 2001. He regularly draws large-scale mura-doodle installations for groups of people to color in. (The blogosphere went wild last year with the release of his Color-in Wallpaper.) If you look through the bright colors and swirling lines, you'll find deeper notes of dry humor and modern-day anxieties. It's this combination that makes his art appealing to folks of all ages.
After a brief stop in California, Jon is now working in New York for the summer. With upcoming iPhone apps and videogame graphics on the horizon, no single surface (virtual or otherwise) is off-limits. For more information, pick up his book, Pens Are My Friends and stop by his website and blogography.
--Jeremy Brautman
(Ed. Note. Jeremy
Brautman is a recovering toy addict and expert on art toys. He contributes toy
culture trends to a handful of blogs, is the former editor of ToyCyte and is currently working on a
project to archive doodles and other 'disposable' art.)
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