Jasper Infested art/ Days of Desolation Interview (2014)

1. Hello Jasp. how’s life treating you?

Hi, Joey. Everything is pretty good here. Draw, eat, shit, draw some more, sleep, repeat. How about over there?

2.How did you get into drawing/arts? And why Infested Art? Can you share a little story about it?

I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. I’ve always loved it and still do, so it naturally evolved into what it is now. As far as drawing for bands goes, I used to do the artwork for a band I used to be in and flyer art for the shows I put on locally. It didn’t take long before I was doing zine covers and record covers for friends in other local and not so local bands. With the help of myspace I got a lot more requests from bands and people all over the world and it just grew from there really.
Infested Art, because I don’t really consider what I make is art in a traditional sense or at least what I got told art was in school. In my opinion a lot of things can be art and it’s all very much subjective. People should decide for themselves what is art to them and what isn’t. If anyone thinks or says what I do is art, then it is. It’s just as valid to state it’s not and/or complete and utter shit.

3. What mostly pushes you to do your artworks?

I just love drawing and it’s my greatest passion. A lot of the time I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing, really. It keeps me sane for the most part, haha. For me it’s a good way to channel my frustrations, anger, etc. and turn it into something that’s, to me at least, productive. Personally, finishing a drawing you’ve spent countless hours working on feels enormously gratifying. It’s even better when it makes people happy or get inspired, whether those people are “clients” or not. There’s also always room for improvement and much more to learn as far my technique and ‘skills’ go, so surely that pushes me as well.

4. Artist that inspire/influence you alot?

I must say Pushead was a big influence in my childhood, as was Brian Froud and one of my aunts who made amazing, fantasy themed paintings, come to think of it. Salvador Dali and especially M.C. Escher had an impact when I was in my teens along with a lot of manga/anime artists like Katsuhiro Otomo, Yoshiki Takaya, Tetsuo Hara, Yoshiaki Kawajiri and much later Junji Ito.
The only thing other artists inspire me to do now is to go draw, so I wouldn’t really say other artists influence me a lot at the moment. However, some artists which I think are absolutely awesome and definitely worth checking out are Daniel Shaw, Santos, Alisha, Alix, Spidermike, Shunsuke and Stiv of War.

5. How’s the process when you’re dealing with bands? Do you always ask their ideas for the artworks they wanted to be done? any special technique when you’re doing an artwork?

I automatically ask if the band has an idea I should work with. It’s their design, so I think it’s only logical they have the first say. Usually, I have enough freedom to come up with my own ideas and/or details. Most bands know what they’re in for when they ask me to make them something. After that I send a sketch, make modifications if necessary and ink it using the stippling technique. I don’t know if the technique is that special, but I like the effect stippling gives best. All those dots are pretty tiring for the eyes after the while though, haha. I don’t really use other techniques, besides pencil for tattoo designs and watercolours and a bit of coloured pencil for the coloured designs. I’d love to do some experimenting with oil- and acrylic paint, but I just don’t have the time for that right now.

6. How can you define your art? Can you tell us more about your style in drawing?

I would much rather leave the defining to the spectator, honestly. From what I hear it’s gloomy, doomy and aggressive. Some people tell me I should draw nicer things, hahaha. I think the only thing I can say is that it conceptually revolves around socio-political issues (from my point of view) a lot of the time. Not that I want or think I have to point things out in specific or spread a certain message. I think a lot of people know this world, although there’s a lot of beauty in it, is pretty messed up.
I don’t know what to tell you about my style. It’s just the way I draw. I don’t try to draw a certain way, but it just comes out like it does.

7. So how’s the art book you have published? any plans of releasing another one?

It’s actually the second one I did. The first one was more like a zine, printed in black and white on photocopy paper at a local store. Zine’s are very cool and all, but basically, I just wanted to the second one to be/look a little more professional, get some coloured images in there and have a thicker cover too. So I looked around a bit and found a great printing company online. The result was a full colour, 40 paged, A4 sized paperback. I had 200 of them printed. 100 with a black and white cover and 100 with a coloured cover. They’re all gone now though. I might have another 50 printed. I’m not sure yet. What I am sure of is that the 3^rd art book is on the way. I just have to see which designs and how many will go in there. I want to have at least 40 pages/images and put something extra with it like a poster or something. We’ll see. To me an art book is like what a record is to a band. Watching images on your computer screen or cell phone will just never ever have the same charm a physical copy of a book has. The same goes for music. No digital format will ever beat a nice piece of vinyl.

8. And how’s days of Desolation? Can you share us a little biography ?

We started out as a three-piece somewhere back in 2007. Back then it was just me, Owen and a guy called Gert. We were (and still are) heavily influenced by bands like Cop on Fire, Ekkaia, Ictus, End of All, Ambulance, … and wanted to try something like it, but with more blast beats. We just wrote some songs, not really planning on ever playing live. Gert was supposed to play bass and do the vocals. That didn’t work out like we intended and we wanted to have two guitars to do some melodic stuff, so Gert traded the bass for the guitar and we asked Olke to come and sing. We couldn’t find a bass player and played our first couple shows without one. Gert also played in a German metal band at that time called Deadlock. He used to travel between Leipzig, Germany and Belgium all the time, but he became more and more involved with life in Germany, so it didn’t take long before he just didn’t have time for Days of Desolation anymore. He lives in Berlin now where he has a family of his own. In 2009 Strouven joined on bass. A couple years later Frank ‘the tank’ Rogiers replaced him. So now it’s me, Owen, Olke and Frank. Sometimes we do play shows as a 2 or 3 piece when Olke, Frank or both have other priorities.

9. Any new releases ? future projects ?

Our split 7” with Controlled Existence from the Czech Republic came out last March on Power-It-Up records from Germany. We’re very happy with that one. Controlled Existence is an awesome band with awesome people. As for Power-It-Up records, they fucking rule. Truly some of the coolest people I have ever met. I love those guys.
We’re always writing new stuff. More split releases and another full length are in the works. I can’t give you much details yet, but we’re working on it.
Owen and I recorded some new tracks with China Syndrome recently too. I’m guessing that should be ready by November.

10. Word association:

Pushead

Master of the potlood.

Bullets and guns

Destruction.

Skulls

End of the line.

Grind

Love.

Crust

Love.

11. Thnx a lot Jasp, any last words/ comments/ shouts

Thanks a lot for the interview and your patience, Joey! It’s appreciated loads!!! I hope all is well over there with you and your family. For people that are interested in the art stuff, check out my facebook page www.facebook.com/Infested.Art and/or instagram @infestedartjasper. They get updated every couple days usually. Also, Rita Ora is awesome. That will be all. Cheers and all the best!