Heavy Q&A: ORNAMENTAL CONIFER

Next up in this short n' sweet Q&A thing, we have Ornamental Conifer. His work speaks for itself and is in a class of its own. Hot rods, helmets, tanks, a hunk of fuckin' wood- this dude doesn't bat a lash at the substrate.. he just does his thing and does it well. Here are some of his recent works, but it'd be worth spending some time here to get the big picture: http://ornamentalconifer.blogspot.com/

1. Age, Location, etc.

30, Somewhere between England, Australia and America..

2. What got you into painting / lettering and when did it happen?

I got into painting because it kept me from doing stupid shit..

3. Your work has really enabled quite a bit of traveling. What was the weirdest situation you've gotten yourself into?

The weirdest situation I ever found myself in whilst traveling for work was breaking into my friends shop at five in the morning with a pocket full of bad ideas and setting off the alarm, then running home to tell my friend only to find him with the police and clearing things up, he then, out of the kindness of his heart, drove me back to the shop so I could carry on painting. (Sorry T.D)

4. Favorite pizza topping and preferred beverage to wash it down?

Pepperoni and Coopers Sparkling Ale

5. Any particular motorcycle adventures that stick out in your mind?

I rode to Norway with my dad, and learnt a lot, mainly that Japanese bikes never break down.

6. CC's or CI's?

Depends on the rain.

7. What are your top 5 go-to albums to put on before you get to work on a new piece or project?

TREX, Immortal Technique, Braintax, Kadavar, Scabs (UK)

8. Which Biltwell helmet do you have and can you give us a taste of what you plan on doing to it?

I have the matte black gringo and all I can say that its gonna be heavy...

Be at Heavy Heads so you can see Ornamental Conifer's work with your own two eyes! Thanks for answering our dumb questions, Nico! 

-ZK

Thunderfuck 2: The sequel

Thunderfuck... A.K.A - The Barbary Breakout 2

Whenever you make a spur the moment decision, in the back of your mind you always think "I hope it was worth it." In this case, it definitely was. Riding some great roads with people who you don't see nearly enough, drinking moonshine with people you haven't even seen in over 10 years, and blasting off more fireworks than you can shake a stick at tends to leave a positive impression. The bands were tight and at times things got weird in the right ways. Slept on a picnic table and was up bright and early for a 6:00 am departure to ride another 13 hours with my dad. Fewer pictures, the better the time- these were the only 4 I got.

Rolling deep to Steel Steeds

Sewer God Sean ripping

5:15am: Sunrise

Brian's killer Pan

The right decision was definitely made.

-ZK

Heavy Q&A: Tallboy

This is the first installment of some Heavy Heads artist Q&A. Today we are pleased to give you a little more info on the infamous Tallboy. The work below is just the tip of the iceberg. For a more satisfying look at Tallboy's work check it out at www.tallboyart.com

1.    Age, Location, and otherwise general info that you feel represents TALLBOY?

I'm 27, living in Austin, TX at the moment. Member of the art club Swamp Wizards and co-owner of Night Watch Studios. I draw constantly with frequent pizza and beer breaks. 

2.    Did you go to school for your craft or did you stumble upon pencils and paint and everything just fell into place?

I've always been drawing. Me and my brother used to draw boobs on the wall next to our basement staircase. I stuck with it! Then I went to college 15 minutes from my moms house and really got into art and found a direction and stuck with it. From then to now it's been a series of mistakes with the occasional success! It's been an awesome journey!

3.    Tacos or Burritos? Favorite malt liquor pairing with aforementioned cuisine?

Tacos in Texas and Burritos in California! Pearl beer in Texas and Tecate in California! Pizza and Pabst back home in Boston. 

4. Do you have a favorite motorcycle inspired memory that stands out in your mind? 

I used to own a 1975 Honda CB 200. It maxed out at about 75mph. I got it up to 60 one night drunk with a small Peruvian man named Marco on the back. Almost dumped it sideways when I realized he had a boner poking into my lower back. Still not sure til this day how to handle that one. 

5. CC's or CI's?

I've only owned one bike. A tiny Honda, can I still be in the show???

6. What's that music coming out of your shop/studio/garage?

Right now Krusty is mailing out Night Watch orders blasting GiSM. Lots of Bolt Thrower on the way to the Post Office. Thin Lizzy on heavy rotation. Slayer, Obituary, and oh shit! Jim Croce just came on!

7. What style / type of lid are you painting for Heavy Heads - any teasers or hints to entice us all?

Right now it's a beautiful white Biltwell Bonanza open face. I want to figure out how to bridge the gap between my Underground Comix and the layout style of traditional pinstripe/airbrush helmets. If that sounds weird, that's good because it will be!

Big thanks to Tallboy for letting us post up some of his work and answering our stupid questions. If you wanna jam like the man here are some links:

GiSM *

Bolt Thrower *

Thin Lizzy *

Slayer *

Obituary *

Jim Croce

* = blast these to piss off your boss

Stay tuned for the next edition of Heavy Heads Q&A!

Cheers,

-ZK

Heavy Heads 2014 Artist Roster

HEAVY HEADS 2014 ARTIST ROSTER
(in no particular order)

FLORIAN BERTMER

MAXWELL PATERNOSTER

ANDY JENKINS

BRETT STENSON

ADAM NICKEL

WRETCHED BEAST

MATT GROSSO

SAM TURNER

BEN EDMISTON

ALEX HAGEN

HALEY ZONTINI

PHIL GUY

RICH JANUSZ

BATDOG

JASON MATTOX

ORNAMENTAL CONIFER

TRAVIS *TUKI* HESS

KEITH SEAMAN

TALLBOY

RICHARD MININO

HARPOON

ADI GILBERT

ZACH KOLODZIEJSKI

DAN KENT
CHRISTIAN HERR

FRED PINCKARD

ZACH HOBBS

BRIAN LEONARD 

KARL STEHN

DEVYN HAAS

6 to Midnight

Heavy Heads helmet show is gaining momentum daily. We figured it'd be a good idea to pop a blog so you can check regularly in to see what is new.

Stay tuned for artist bios, giveaways, previews and other awesome shit!

Catch you on the road!

-ZK