One of my good friends is fellow artist GermDee. We met a while back through mutual friends and found out we live just a couple of blocks from each other. Now we hang around almost daily, and are always bouncing ideas and concepts off each other.
His style involves "bootlegging" different pop culture (and sometimes religious) icons, and corporate logos and slogans, and mashing them up and tweaking them to make a statement and/or make a joke. On Instagram he often uses the hashtag #bootlegarmy . He makes tons of cool t-shirt and hoodie designs, often making the screens for them himself, as well as canvas art, and almost daily sharpie drawings. His art makes me laugh, and makes me think. Not long ago I invested in one of his "Ratboi" paintings to add to my own art collection, because I honestly think his art career is gonna blow up soon.
So the other day we were chilling at my studio, and I was gonna make a social media post about him, so I took a picture of him to include with the post. This picture:
Then when I looked at it, I thought to myself that he sorta looked like Jesus. And then I thought to myself he's like some sort of "Bootleg Jesus" - but instead of turning water into wine, he's turning Mickey Mouse into Bart Simpson. In this picture the light from his phone even makes it look like he's holding some sort of Divine Healing Magic in his hands.
Then I started to laugh to myself as a light went off in my own head: I was gonna make the ultimate bootleg t-shirt - by bootlegging the actual bootlegger himself!
So - I did!
All week I've been laughing to myself as I was waiting to get the shirts I had designed with his picture and the #bootlegjesus. I'd say to him "Man, you're like a Bootleg Jesus or something" when he'd show me his daily drawings. It was so hard not to tell him! lol Today I got them. I'm still laughing as I write this. I only had a few made, if you want to be a part of the #bootlegbootlegarmy they're up on my site here. One day these will be collectors items, don't miss this chance to own a piece of the bootleg history.
Make sure to go check him out on Instagram @germdee and give him a follow, and please do me a huge favor and leave a comment on one of his posts with #bootlegjesus , so he knows you heard about him from me! lol
Tomorrow I'll be set up with some of my art, prints, shirts and more at Expo GPK. If you're local, come say HI and support local artists, artisans and small businesses at Empire Park (AKA The Police Station/Library/Packers Field) from 9am-5pm in Greenfield Park.
Have an awesome weekend! -Adam
