my love for you is a stampede of horses.: french at analogue books.

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french is an illustrating, tea drinking, metal loving lad who lives in london. if you've seen his drawings you know the talent he posseses; intricate, beautiful images not often w/out a bit of humor thrown in. his new show high priestess of the woods opens w/ a preview tonight at analogue books in edinburgh. recently french and i finally got our instant messaging schedules on par and had a little chat. below is excerpts from some of it. i had a blast talking w/ french. he's not only unbelievably talented, he's also completely hilarious. i strongly suggest you check out his blog for his hilarity, daily life of skating, road trips, metal consumption and continual uploads of current work.

meighan: hello?

french: yeah man...safe, what up!

meighan: haha. ok, finally!

french: yeah, no shit.

meighan: ok, cool. so... you live in croydon?

french: yeah...we'll thornton heath...it's very close.

meighan: i lived in london illegally for almost 2 yrs.

french: hahaha! doesn't everyone?

meighan: yeah, it's a barrel of laughs. haha. ok so let's get this started... ready?
set...go! ok...your drawings are so wonderful...how long have you been drawing?

french: well since I was 3?

meighan: what did you draw when you were a kid? i was big into butterflies.

french: yeah, i always drew...my mum was really into getting me to draw. she used to work at an art college and i could go and meet all the students and see the work.

meighan: so you were inspired from early on.

french: i really loved drawing tanks and people being shot.

meighan: that's awesome. do you still have your drawings?

french: yeah, i was always inspired by killing. and tanks and guns. yeah, some, i think. my granny used to keep them on the inside of the larder door and date them. i think my parents threw them out.

meighan: oh, that's too bad.

french: yeah...it's cool.

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meighan: did you go to school for art?

french: yeah, i did a foundation and I have a 1st class honours in fine art. i went to staffordshire uni and spent a year at KU in lawrence, kansas.

meighan: what did you think of kansas?

french: it was fucking...the best place on earth. i made the best friends and did the craziest things.

meighan: haha, that's awesome. i wouldn't think that kansas would be described that way. when were you there?

french: 2000 to 2001. it's sick!!!

meighan: ha. what did you get up to while you were there? any art related stuff or just general mayhem?

french: well, studied...made art. shot guns, road horses, drove tractors, skateboarding, parties, women, tornado chasing, pizza, house parties, women, metal, fights...making the best friends ever.

meighan: that sounds amazing...esp. the tornado chasing and pizza part. do you work full time as an illustrator?

french: yeah man...i just draw...

meighan: you've done a lot of product for companies esp. skate companies. who has been your favorite to work for?

french: yeah, i seem to be getting alot of skate stuff. and i love it...a dream come true. my favourite was creature skateboards.

meighan: yeah, you seem to lead a really charmed life. what did you do for them?

french: i did a shirt and 2 boards for them. yeah...i dunno i think it's just good karma. i don't really go looking. i just try and dream and send people stuff and make work that's true to me.

meighan: well, judging by your blog it seems to be really working for you. do you wake up everyday totally stoked?

french: i hope so. i'm so scared that i'll wake up one morning and no one will ever want more work from me. but i think i'd still do it all the same.

meighan: i don't think you need to worry about it.

french: i don't worry, not every day...but most...usually after the book of the week reading on radio 4 and just before i listen to metal and draw some more. i thank fuck it's like this.

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meighan: haha. right, let's talk about your love of metal. just go for it... what is it about metal?

french: metal is life. i love metal. i love it like you love a mum. i fucking love it.

meighan: haha... ok and the combination of the two is like heaven on earth?

french: yes. i mean....some times i'll listen to an album i haven't heard in a while and it'll be like meeting an old friend.

meighan: can you give me an example?

french: well...right i was listening to born again...this a soft metal one for you.

meighan: right.

french: yeah, i was listening to that on the train...it's the sabbath album with ian gilan. and i just wanna cry i love it so much. i cant explain.

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meighan: how does metal influence your work?

french: i'm like that with all ozzy. well, you've seen my work. but i don't just draw pictures of metal bands.

meighan: no, you don't.

french: i hate that people seem to think that i only like to draw pictures of like judas priest. i enjoy the themes and old english or horror ideas that metal has.

meighan: right, well that can be a bummer to be pigeoned holed. but your stuff isn't all guts and gore.

french: nah, its' not.

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meighan: can you tell me a little bit about high priestess of the woods, your show for analogue books?

french: i really like drawing intricate things. yeah, sure...what would you like to know? it was a drawing i've had for a while in pencil and i just finished it.

meighan: what are the drawings like...what was the inspiration behind them? the pics that you sent me, will they be in the show?

french: well, it's a collection of woods and forest style stuff, with knights and animals. all black and white. yeah, they're in it. there's a zine with most of the work in it too.

meighan: they're all really beautiful. will the zine be available from analogue?

french: cheers, yeah...i try and to make them that way. yeah...it's gonna be 100 copies for them and i have 50 limited edition shirts.

meighan: you've given t's away for free in the past at shows... any such luck this time?

french: yeah...sort of. i think that it's gonna be a zine and shirt for £15. it's a good, big zine.

meighan: nice. will you have any prints available or just drawings?

french: there's gonna be a wall of prints...all pretty cheap and another wall of drawings and a painting on the wall.

meighan: oh cool...i wanted to ask you, your drawings are so intricate and amazing. how do you feel after spending days on a wall drawing/mural to know it will be painted over in a month?

french: well it's all good...it looked good once and it's for the moment, not for keeps. that's what makes it better...no one can have it.

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