Teefury

Words from sonmi:

Hello all! For my first design as curator for Teefury, I am honored to have the art superstar and all around swell guy, Matt Cipov, bring his balance of whim and majesty to the table. His linework is one to take a magnifying glass to and his compositions are as solid as crystal. What can I say; I'm a registered member of his fan club. So please enjoy this rare opportunity to wear his art and become a believer!

Tell us about this design:

I am obsessed with owls. This owl-centric mode has been going on for quite a long while and I keep drawing them in my art. I think it helps that there are so many cool looking different ones, so there is a nice variety for me to choose from. I enjoy drawing any sort of animal that is exotic, bizarre looking, or that seems to have some sort of human-like personality. Owls certainly fit into those categories well and if I had to come up with an animal I would love to draw for a shirt, owls would for sure top the list. Also, a bit earlier this year, I was asked by someone to make a drawing that I thought symbolized the idea of luck in some way... good luck... bad luck... strange luck... just something that made sense to me. And the first idea that came to mind was a barn owl flying through a forrest with a severed human hand in its claws. I guess it made sense to me at the time and it had a lot of the things and ideas I like to draw: nature, strange ornamentation, whimsy, text and a slightly creepy feel.

Tell us about yourself:

I am a self employed artist living in the Midwest with my lovely wife, and awesome son. I am absolutely, 100% addicted to making art. I am always thinking about drawing, or projects I am working on, and when I find myself pulled away from making art for too long, it makes me feel ill. I just recently got dismissed from having to spend a full week in Jury Duty... that would have been a full week of nearly no time to work on art. I feared it like I was facing torture. But all is well, I am happily up to my shoulders in art projects and for several years since deciding to work on my own, I have had fun making art for gallery shows, bands, movies, companies and strange people all around the world.

Name a few of your favorite things.

hot tea... old synthesizers... dreams... horror films... good food... comic books... music... documentaries... ghosts, candy... hugs... birds... numbers... 1980's videogames... hands... sleep... fun

How did you get into art?

Ever since I was a little kid I found myself more attracted to quietly drawing all alone rather than being a little daredevil, or sitting in front of the TV. It's that part of me that is secretly a hermit who would be happy to do nothing other than make art. I'd fill pages, upon pages of notebooks and always be coming up with silly little ideas that I had to put on paper. It probably stems form how much I have always enjoyed comic books. Plus the 1980's was a time full of crazy movies, toys, fashion, and events... it was a good era to be a kid in, and a really, really good time to help influence a kid into wanting to be an artist.

If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it? Trip to the moon, Trip to the bottom of the ocean, or Trip to Cabo? Pick one.

AH! Answering this question is really easy for me!! I would go to the bottom of the ocean and hang out (with a large supply of air and snakes I hope). All of the crazy creatures that dwell deep down in the ocean fascinate and scare me very, very much and I don't think I'd be able to take my eyes off of them. I am just a nerd. I'll take quiet study and solitude over a party anytime. And if it gave me a chance to draw a viper fish while one swam around in front of me... I'LL SIGN UP FOR THAT MAGIC!!! The moon would be a pretty awesome place to visit too, but an ocean teaming with life sort of beats a lunar landscape void of life if you ask me.

What was your favorite as a kid: comics, cartoons, or movies? Was there a specific title you liked most of all?

Movies are great, my list of favorite movies is huge, BUT I would have to say that my first real love for media came from comic books. I think comics greatly influenced my love for art, turned me onto book as I got older and then made me lust after everything else like movies and music. And if I had to trace it back to one title, it would be Batman. I always loved the art, I thought his costume was the coolest... and his villains? TOP NOTCH!!!!

Do you have any interesting hobbies or tales of intrigue? Do tell!

I have never broken a bone and I never plan to. I used to exists for all the love of silly adventure. Now that I am older, I like to keep things pretty simple and basic... with a lot of art thrown on top. But really, I don't have too many tales of intrigue worth sharing. I prefer to let me art do a lot of the talking for me.

Any shout outs?

Sorry guys, I can't really think of anything fun. Hmmmmmmm... hi mom!?! HI MOM!!!!