Lastleaf (US)

Lastleaf (US)

ADid I already tell you about the magic of Facebook ? Yes, I am pretty sure I already told you, but once again, it is thanx to this little site that I discovered the work of Mathias from Pueblo, CO. The magic of Facebook is also to let you know that Mathias is about to (or maybe has already had, when you read those lines) a baby. I just wanted to congrat him and his wife  and tell them the Crewk sympathizes with them, as we know nights are going to be shorters and ears will suffer ;)

Hello, of course as every Crewk interview, first question: what are we listening to when we come to visit you?

-Currently as i answer this interview, The Rapture, however i listen to whatever band i am currently doing posters for. its a requirement at my shop that the current client is on the box.

Can you tell us more about yourself, who are you, where are you from,

-Mathias Valdez. Artist and printmaker at LASTLEAF custom print and design. From Pueblo, Colorado. Born and raised.

i have one employee/friend here at the shop named Inaiah Lujan. we are LASTLEAF.

what do you do?

-I am a graphic artist that specializes in silkscreen print making.

When did you start drawing?

-Early in life. I was originally a painter, but started to learn about silkscreen printing while touring with my former band Son Of Man. we used to make our own merchandise to save money on the road. i just kept doing it after our disbandment in 2008.

Did you follow any course or did you improve by drawing in the margins

of your schoolbooks?

- I liked my marketing classes and creative classes, music and arts of course.. but yes, there were plenty of doodles on my desks

Today are you living from your art, or do you do something else for a living ?

-LastLeaf is my sole income. i do logo design, branding & identity and any other sort of design work asked for (book covers / layout projects etc.. ) for other business and custom silkscreen printing.

Are you collaborating with magazines/fanzines, regularly?

-No.

Where does your influence come from? Is there any artists/graphists you particularly like, what are your influences?

-I suppose my favorite print house is PrintMafia,  among others, but i think my main influence comes from my peers. other printmakers and gigposter artists.

What are the principal steps in your work ?

-I do everything in house from design/illustration to set up to pre-press to printmaking. all done start to finish in my shop/gallery

Do you do everything by hand or on computer?

-little of both or lots of both, however you look at it.

How long does it take you to do a poster?

-Depends on how long it takes the client to approve the art. sometimes it takes a day sometimes a month, but once i get approval i usually crank out the whole edition in a day or two.

You have a very distinctive style, are you doing only what you feel

like or if tomorrow somebody asks you an oil painting with horses
running out of water with a sunset backdrop, is it a problem or are
you up for it ?

-there is a certain amount of integrity that i refuse to give up, but generally i do what is asked. to be honest i hate when a client says "i love your work, do whatever you want!" because 9 times out of 10, they dont like what you come up with. for gig posters, i always like a bit of direction from the band. it helps to make the art something the band has a part of. 

For which band have you already worked for?

-I have done posters for The Fray, O'death, Brown Bird, The Haunted Windchimes, Sleeping in the Aviary, Mason Reed, Decker., and quite a few more. I have also done some fun commission work for other things like The City of Sleepy Hollow New York, ArtCrank at the interbike convention in vegas, a private school in California, a Marching band from Wyoming among others.

For which band would you love to work?

-I suppose any band that would be willing to hire me, even if i am not a huge fan, no matter what type of music, my love lies in gig posters. I suppose David Bowie or the Rolling Stones would be damn cool to work for, but there are thousands of great bands out there i would love to work for.

What is the most difficult part in designing a poster ?

-I am my own worst critic.

Do you think you are part of a "Graphic Scene", if so who else ?

-No, We are all just trying to make a living doing what we love.

A bit of self-promotion, take advantage of it, it's free, where can we

see your work , on the web or in real life?

-LastLeaf is located at 213 S. Union Ave in the historic downtown of Pueblo Colorado.

I can be reached my phone at 719.583.4194 or by email at lastleafprinting(at)yahoo.com

My website is www.lastleafprinting.com

you can also find me on facebook at www.facebook.com/lastleafprinting

The best praise you received lately?

-a fella wanted to move across the country to have a chance to come work for me, i thought that was pretty rad, but i dont think it is worth all that.

What can we wish you for the future?

-I just want to be able to continue making a living as a poster artist. i would like keep getting bigger clients and have bands know and like what i do and be a viable option when they are looking to hire a artist and printmaker to do a poster for them. 

Thanks for answering my questions and see you soon on the website !!