Owe Gustafson is back
Once again, A Day's March teams up with ingenious artist and illustrator Owe Gustafson, this time to create the sunny summer capsule "The Great Escape." At 84, Gustafson is as energetic and productive as ever. We met him to discuss inspiration, elephants, and the importance of proper shoes.
The new collection "The Great Escape" is launching end of April.
A DAY'S MARCH: Your images have inspired so many other artists and illustrators. Where do you find your inspiration, and what inspires you? – Everything I see around me. What I read, movies, and what's on TV. It's about observing things; it's what's most important. Then certain artists have influenced me a lot. Jean Arp is one of my great idols, a German-French artist with a simplified visual language. He's also a poet, which has also had an impact. But drawing is secondary – your expression has to come from within.
A DAY'S MARCH: Is there anything you've seen recently that has stood out? – The world's current situation is so overwhelming, so it's mostly that which stands out. I've never been into political drawing, but maybe I should have been. Satire is an underrated art form, at least in Sweden. It's a fine art form. A DAY'S MARCH: You're always so well-dressed. What does style and clothing mean to you? – When people say I'm well-dressed, my response is that I dress pretty normal. However, I think most men dress terribly badly. And that's where you come in because you're making an effort to raise the standard. A DAY'S MARCH: Thank you! Do you have a style icon? – I sometimes think about Bryan Ferry. In an interview, he said that jeans are entirely rubbish – a very uncomfortable piece of clothing. However, an Armani suit makes you feel very relaxed. And he's right.
"Drawing is secondary – your expression has to come from within."
A DAY'S MARCH: Bryan Ferry was also in a hijacking drama, which fortunately had a happy ending. When asked to comment on the whole thing afterward, he said the hijacker had hideous shoes. – Yes, shoes are essential. I have a French colleague who is a childhood illustrator, a rather peculiar man. But he says he can instantly recognize a Swede in Paris because they always have bad shoes.
A DAY'S MARCH: Elephants have had a significant impact on your visual world. And I know you recently had the opportunity to travel to Thailand and meet an elephant for the first time. How was that? – It was fantastic! They were tame elephants, so you could pet them, and it was an amazing experience. They were incredibly friendly; you could feel that. But I don't know how they are in the wild—you might want to be cautious then.
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