Danny

RED BUBBLE PROFILE – T-Shirt designer sjem

You’ve just got to like a guy who when he sends you his email to correspond with, it has the word greetings incorporated in the address. I shouldn’t have had any less expectation of sjem.
Yes its sjem – lowercase- it is his name, he just thinks the lowercase looks “betterer”
Tee Shirt designer sjem has grown to be a popular and influential observer of all things Bubble.
From being a runner up in the 100% Red Bubble T-Shirt competition, to naming the recent “In praise of Shadows” T-Shirt competition sjem’s short time on RB has also seen 2 of his designs in the top 50 of the all time popular T-Shirt gallery and sales in the double digits.
Pick any popular T-Shirt Designer on Red Bubble and you’ll find sjem in their favorites.
As an award winning designer in his chosen profession, T-Shirt creation gives sjem a discipline he is not used to. A challenge in a different forum?
“…..it’s always about trying to communicate an idea or a message clearly. It’s also about being aware of the limitations of the medium. Actually this is a good thing, a totally blank canvas tends to inhibit coming up with fresh ideas, working within some sort of established boundaries tends to elicit a more creative response. So for t-shirts on RB it’s about using a theme or message or idea an then working within the restrictions of the t- shirt”

sjem influences others as he in turn is influenced by them.
He will often pop into others portfolio to make them aware of new and exciting artist, he is rarely off the mark.
sjem’s eclectic portfolio shows an evolving talent who has always acknowledged his influences even those on the Red Bubble site.
His work Open End 1983 (a drawing of one of sjem favorite artists
Clemont Meadmore) caught the attention of RB illustrator/skateboarder maestro Scott Resisto Robinson who had used the sculpture as a skating platform so sjem incorporated a skateboarder bringing a whole new dimension to the artwork. Sjem also took the advice of TBO and renamed the rather prosaic Tiger Suit into the more cutting edge and quirky Reservoir Tiger

sjem also has a well defined sense of humour with his Alf from home & away- series and his CockRock where he solicited title ideas from his commentators.
His Rats of the Sky is based on a friends near hysterical annoyance of city pigeons.

As a new Dad sjem has admitted to a whole new view of life personally and professionally and this has had an impact on his works, most notably his latest submission Gallows of Humanity A dark theme T-shirt sjem agrees to have been influenced by fellow RB artist Lucan Industries.

“Gallows was quite a journey in its creation, but then again that is
often the case with stuff I do It started out as my 23CHuman Anatomy entry (The pseudo Lucan Industries Competition) and was going to have the ‘tool in a suit’ with an oil pump squirting oil all over the t-shirt from his head. Anyhow,
that wasn’t working out [but it may eventually] so instead ‘tool in a
suit’ was hung from the oil pump. Then the shadow was added to
balance out the composition and I entered it into In Praise Of
Shadows instead.”

As for it being political?:

“I’d hate to label the work political, but I suppose it can be
interpreted that way. I reckon the success of the image stems from
the intense emotions that I have in relation to the futility of
war as a solution to any problem and the state of our environment and
the size of the shiny 4 wheel drives I see barging their way through the CBD
daily.”

“Life is certainly different once there is a child around Its a
shift in the way you view the world, suddenly you need to be more
responsible for it’s future because you know (assuming all goes well)
that you are going to be leaving it sooner than your child.”

sjem didn’t wish to reveal his chosen career in this interview but those of you with more of an inquisitive nature can follow the smattering of clues sjem has left round the RB site to figure it out themselves.

As an addedum to this original interview which Red Bubble sat on for ages befor using sjem went onto win the independantly judged Praise Of Shadows Contest with his entry “Gallows Of Humanity” as well as releasing another Revolutionary piece
23C HA

Well done son.

August 2007