JAMIE BROWNE: VOLCOM OZ ARTIST
18/10/2012


Jamie Browne is the kinda Artist you wanna know. He’ll draw on your board, explain scientific facts and always join you for a dark n’ stormy…he’s everyones best mate and probably the quickest witted pencil wielder you will ever run into. His stoner/psyc rock collection is one to be reckoned with and he doesn’t even mind lending em to ya…Volcom’s other creative Kimmy Reynolds chats music, skate art and Chocolate with the rad man…



K: Lets get the peeps up to speed with your inner workings via a coupla top 5′s

Top 5 meals: 1. Chocolate for breakfast – get some sugar in the furnace
2. Ramen, gyozas & beer
3. Burrito/burger & beer
4. Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) and yes beer
5. Chocolate again. Its awesome

Top 5 driving songs:
1. Last days here – Pentagram (always a sing along number when alone
2. Ramble Tamble – CCR
3. Arkansas Revisited – Brian jonestown massacre
4. Some things go without saying – Brian jonestown massacre
5. Peat moss – Chaplin Harness

Top 5 cities:
1. Tokyo!
2. L.A.
3. Melbourne
4. Vienna
5. Sydney

K: Ok..now that everyone knows you a little better lets get down to binniz.

K: Your Volcom Australia’s in house artist supreme, can you describe your work space at Volcom HQ?

J: Well my desk is pretty messy at the moment actually its pretty messy most of the time but at least everything’s within reach
I prefer not to be at my desk though and when I have a chance love to head down into the art den we have set up in the underground car park or just take a stroll around the office and chat to the other cool folks here.
I work alongside the rest of the talented design team which is rad and the marketing boys are just behind me usually carrying on with some playful banter. I love the banter around Volcom we’re always having a laugh.
that’s super important to me and my work. So yeah it’s rad.

K: The art den rules. Primus & petrol fumes for life…ha.

K: Yeah you do like a humorous banter, that’s been coming out in your artworks and post it notes of late in which pun plays a huge part..how do you come up with them all?? Could you give the lovely readers a few of you fave examples of the post it note puns you skate around and drop off to your co workers here at Volcom HQ?? J: Ha I don’t know they just come up and if im in the right time, place and mental state to “see” them then I get em down on paper. Some stick and flesh themselves out, some are too vague or lame (well they’re all kinda lame) others I’ll get one half and just have to wait for the second or let it go. I try not to force them or think too hard after all they’re just witty little dad joke kinda things. Just for fun y’know.
I’m inspired by the folks and chit chat around me so if I draw up a little post it for someone it usually pertains to them and their interests. For example Chimmy (you) likes cats, L.A. and rockin out hence – “Paradise Kitty” Or maybe there’s been a line of conversation or a running joke that might spark something that I want to draw for instance “The Ghost From The Coast” I give em to my friends so we can share a bit of a laugh. It breaks up the day.



K: What are your favourite things to draw?

J: At the moment – Palm trees, skulls, alcoholic beverages, hands, shred planks and chronicling the rock rollin endeavours of Sharky and the seagulls all within a tranquil beach side setting. I also like double images like mixing beer bottles with skateboards, hands with palm tree fingers and playing on words. Just some fun dumb stuff.



K: Drinking & skating are definitely running themes. How influential is skating and skate graphics to your art?

J: Hugely influential! Skating and a bevie or two have always gone hand in hand. For me you can count art as well. I’ve always drawn but when I hit high school and uni when skating was the biggest thing in my life I started discovering legendary dudes like Jim phillips, VCJ etc From there I was just obsessed. Skating fed my art and my art fed my skating. Throw in music too and it creates this kind of perpetual Cycle of inspiration I can draw from.

K: Who are your fave Skate graphic artists? Any all time fave decks?

J: Well Jim Phillips for sure. He definitely had the biggest impact on me. Also Ben Horton. The stuff he’s done for Zero and $lave is so rad. Recently Im really into the art of dudes like Jay howell and Stevie Gee. Fave decks? Hmm… that’s too hard man I cant decide. sorry

K: Ok well how about if you got to make your own JB deck what would you create for the graphic?

J: Ok let me see. I just drew this skull with crossed palm trees through its eyes and mouth. That would be rad. Otherwise maybe a palm tree with a gnarly serpent wound round it. Pretty much obsessed with palms at the moment ha

K: So tell the folks about your latest venture into music…I know the bands name is still under discussion but maybe talk us through your musical influences and where your heading with it??

J: Yeah so I’ve been getting back into the guitar lately and what started out as just jamming with my mate Riz has turned into a pretty serious project for us. The sound at the moment is just really simple pure music. Very guitar oriented but nothing over complicated and wanky. Bands that have influenced us to go in this direction are The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Lovetones, Ride, Best Coast, My Bloody Valentine to name a few.
Kinda fuzzy psycadelic, hazy reverb with some glassy accents and beautifully simplistic. That’s what we’re going for anyway we’ll have to see what evolves. While I have influence and bring songs etc to the table, Riz and the other dudes really know their stuff so I let them guide me. Im just kinda along for the ride. Its cool. In terms of where we’re heading with it, we wanna get some more songs down, start recording, then get giggin dude!



K: Ummm Jbizzle that’s sounds amazing, your description sounds like exactly the sort of album I would definitely invest in..fuzzy psychedelic! hazy reverb!! glassy accents!!! Im ready!!!!!!!

J: Haha cheers dude

K: So you have the golden triangle of Skate/Art/Sound firing right now so I’m thinking we’ll be continuing to see some crazy f’d up art from you Amigo! Do you have anything in the pipeline you may want to hint at?? Maybe some kind of place people may be able to see all your masterpieces in one place, grab a bevvie and meet the maker??

J: Why, whatever could you be referring to Chim? Do you perhaps mean some sort of exhibition? Ha yeah there might just be something like that in the half-pipeline but you’ll just have to wait and see. One thing you can be certain of though is that there will definitely be bevies. Stay tuned folks!

K: And last but not least I’m going to leave it up to you to have the last word…say goodbye to the folks dude:

J: Ok cheers Chim. Folks, be excellent to each other!
Peace,
JB