What’s your name?
The Cloud Commission
Where are you from?
Norfolk, UK. The seaside capital of the world (not the seaside capital of the world)
How old are you?
Old enough to know better. Young enough to excuse my mistakes
What’s your background in design?
Other than my mixed bag of ‘Art and Design’ course at college (from papier-mache to making lamps out of toilet brushes)... not much! I pretty much studied in a field removed from the illustration/design specialisms and worked more in art theory and concepts. The drawing came as a personal therapy after, having not picked up pen and pencil in a serious way for a few years. I challenged myself t
o design 50 characters... just for the crack and its kinda stuck.
Thankfully its working out ok, and after a while, a few opportunities came my way to learn new processes, exhibit in interesting ways, link up with designer makers and thats how its all opportated since. My de
sign education came from working directly in the field, learning on the job so to speak.
It pays to get out of the studio and speaking to people. Nepotism rules the roost and most of my opportunities have come from going out and getting to know the right people.
Promotion For “We Reign Supreme”
Is there a reason behind your name? Where did it come from?
The Cloud Commission was something that cropped up a few years back. I decided to just draw cloud formations for a while. It was something that most illustrators do in a uniquely different way. For me... I hadn’t sussed a way that worked for me or complimented my style... so I just smashed it for a while. As part of the process, I started to read up about the clouds and their individual names/behaviour etc. Word on the strasse is that by the early 20th Century, each country had a world of different ways of categorising cloud formation and it was deemed that a global conference was needed to standardise the catorgorisation of clouds. The said conference was called ‘The Cloud Commission’.
Where do you get your inspiration behind your work?
As a young illustrator, I soaked up as much of the scene as possible and my work skitted around different styles whilst I tried to suss out my own. Once I started to create work I could begin to believe it, I found it healthier to keep my head down, out of illustration books and away from other peoples practices. Its all too easy to beat yourself up comparing or wanting to pinch bits and bobs from here or there. Ultimately, my own work and those working locally are all I really keep a firm eye on. The rest, I enjoy and admire... but I make a point not to look to hard at it.
Most of the things that keep me going from day to day are organisations doing good things, being playful, being open to others, making events happen that are a little different to the friday saturday nights on the town. The likes of Inkygoodness, Best Joined Up, The Project Club, Betahaus - Berlin... I could go on
Could you explain your style of work?
Simple. Big round head... dots for eyes. It aint that exciting, or individual... but it gives me a reason to pick up a pen and paper every morning and as long as it keeps moving forward, I’m happy. For the most part, I work in pen and ink... moreoften that not, on a large scale no smaller than 6ft. Recently, I have been forcing myself to play around more with illustrator/photoshop as well as working sketchbook scale and in pencil a little more. This has lead to a few different opportunities as opposed to the usual stree
t art schtick or murals.
“Collar and Cuffs” by The Cloud Commission
How would you define your overall style?
A bit like the above really... its just drawing, simple as that. I’m not a big fan of the ‘urban’ style... although I have come from that, and toy around on the fringes, I’m always trying to move away from that as much as possible. I’m much more attracted to the illustration scene proper as opposed street art... I’ll still put work up in the streets, dont get me wrong... but I never set out to do street art, and then that whole concept came along and stunk up what was until then, an already health scene of putting illustration up in the streets without a label. Now, all the kids have had ago and there’s alot of stink out there and people making alot of money without necessarily anything other than a very good agent
In the time I have been following your work you have gone from prints to wood cut cufflinks and brooches, what’s next?
I’ve just knocked out a few silk scarves for ‘Designed and Made’s ‘Love Me Live With Me’ project (www.lovemelivewithme.com) that went to London Design Week. Since then, another little stab at some new laser cut jewellery bits, poster design, private commissions etc. 2012 will see a bigger push with a more diverse range of products and jewellery bits... but these will move out from under ‘The Cloud Commission’ moniker to something yet to be revealed. Trying to take things a little more seriously. Until then, we’ll keep messing about doing what we do best.
