We've always been inspired by artists who do things their own way and don't let the art world dictate their work. They are the culture shifters in the art world who create masterpieces in new mediums and that's how we came across San Francisco based artist, XO Finn. Her work is unlike any we've seen before, it is a beautiful combination of mediums into unique masterpieces. We commissioned her to create some unique works that we now use in the linings that can be added to any commissioned CMMP Suit or Jacket.
We sat down with XO Finn to learn a little bit more about her style and how it all came to be.
CMMP: How did you get your start in digital art/photography?
I've always done art of some kind - starting with pen and ink illustrations and film photography. My mom used to tell me "only boring people are bored", so practicing art was (and still is) my way of being curious and learning how to tell stories and to emote. Ten years ago, a colleague at my day job squinted at me and commented, "You look like you're losing your mind working here. Have you ever tried Photoshop?" ..To this day, I don't know what prompted him to say that, but - a decade and innumerable hours of practice on my Wacom tablet later - here I am, mesmerized by how darkly dreamy and fucking surreal digital art can be. On long runs or rides, I spend time daydreaming about what image would be most challenging to create and romantic to experience - then it's to the studio and away I go. It doesn't have to look real to feel cool.
CMMP: What are some of the inspirations behind your work?
I'm a huge fan of visual themes in sci fi and spaghetti westerns, fantastical elements of literary magical realism (Murakami, García Márquez), and medieval macabre (memento mori). Mixed up with a healthy serving of tattoo culture, bubblegum pop, and surf rock. I'm also real sweet on road tripping the California coasts and deserts - there's always room for some wild sunset colors, dust devils, vintage cars, and motorcycle Mad Maxing in my art.
CMMP: Your medium is unique, a blend of many different art forms, is there one medium that you prefer to work with?
My favorite part about multiple mediums.. the work is never boring. I love bouncing from traditional ink illustrations to nonsensical digital collages to brutal Caravaggio-ish-inspired still lives of deconstructed cocktails. Lately, my favorite has been making semi-still lives - composing lighting, levitation, and storytelling in a single still image. I've spent many late nights and witching hours coaxing tens of thousands of pixels into perfect place, and the final composite - often a menagerie of semi-translucent skulls, burnished brass treasures, redolent fruits and flowers, plumes of smoke from incense cones - allows me to express a very specific season of romance, emotion, and experimentation. It's been my favorite adventure of late.
CMMP: How do you approach a new project such as the one with Commonwealth Proper?
For me, I feel that good art requires a crux of understanding, energy, legend, and a little wildness. And time to let it all find its roots. Commonwealth Proper is a very special place - it has its own mythology, flourish, and a balance of patience and imperative; it's important to me to spend time studying and observing the partners in the project and their work - so I can create tapping a similar vein. And, with a little luck and earnest trial and error, the project iterates and mutates as we combine our shared visions.
Check out the full selection linings featuring XO Finn: https://commonwealthproper.com/collections/linings