Portrait of the Artist

Artist Statement

Erik Spiekermann once said: "You cannot NOT communicate", which I interpreted to mean, creatives have a responsibility to be intentional about the meaning we make. As a designer and artist, I am both thoughtful and deliberate. Each piece I create has a purpose: to challenge and to change the heart and the mind, if even in the subtlest of ways.

I have found that visual puns are perfect tools for capturing attention, especially in the overstimulating din of today's attention economy. Visual puns are the heartbeat of every clock– reflecting some aspect of our relationship to time. They are threaded through every garment– making both wearers and viewers see themselves differently. They are the canvas for every art print– either to lambast or laud our daily habits, beliefs and institutions.

Proper visual puzzles aren't easy to make. There is a fine line between the kitsch and the cryptic. It's both tempting and easy to overcommunicate an idea. The most difficult part of the process is knowing what image to remove, what word to eliminate, and what to leave to the imagination. That part is also the most fun and rewarding for me– opening the space for viewers to solve the puzzle on their own. That space, that emptiness for you to fill is my gift to you. 

For those reasons, I choose not to use Artificial Intelligence to create art. My art is made with human intelligence for the benefit of human intelligence.

Origin Story

While serving a life sentence in Corporate America, Properganda engineered a daring escape. By weaponizing his imagination and the tools of mass media, he subverted his captors and seized freedom.

Now a fugitive, he shares that freedom with anyone he can. Through wearable and shareable art, he hopes to provoke enough critical thought to dislodge our everyday assumptions and compulsions. Big changes in the world start with small shifts in the heart and mind.

Each piece here was crafted for the armchair activists- those who see beyond the obvious and question the status quo. If the message moves you, if it hits home, pay it forward- wear it or share it.

Inspiration

I’m inspired by the graphic art of Banksy, Ron English, Robbie Conal, Barbara Kruger and Shepard Fairey.

I emulate modernist designers like Aleksander Rodchenko, Piet Zwart, Paul Rand, Saul Bass, Seymour Schwast, Nancy Skolos, Paula Scher, Tibor Kalman and April Greiman.

My heart sings the praises of Aaron Douglas, Emory Douglas, Nelson Stephens and Africobra.

I grew up soaking in the comic book genius of Stan Lee, Frank Miller, Jack Kirby, John Byrne and Frank Frazetta while bumping the revolutionary anthems of Public Enemy, Rage Against the Machine and Boogie Down Productions.