Zach Rush is the illustrator who commissioned the fantastic artwork for our recent Trailblazer Mierisch x Pola release. We caught up with him briefly to learn about his inspirations and thoughts behind the artwork
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE OF WORK?
In my personal work I have been exploring the transitory human experience. I like to visualise things that can’t be seen (such as visceral feelings, internal monologues, the conception of ideas) and present them in a way that is understood, answer questions that can't be answered in a rational way only in an abstract way. This way of thinking feeds into my briefed work, where I look at someone else’s question and answer it through my own lens of understanding, leading my drawings to often feel psychedelic. The images themselves are strong & graphic, even when there is intricate detailing, I aim to reduce complex Ideas into simple imagery.
WHERE DO YOU SEEK INSPIRATION FROM?
I seek inspiration from the inside, so all I really need to do is sit down and start drawing something, it can be literally anything. From that first drawing I will make a second and so on. Until hours later I step away from my sketch book and I have pages of drawings & wonder where they all came from. It almost feels calming, like stepping out of a hot shower, a slight shift in perspective. It is worth noting I have a lot of kinetic energy that needs to be burnt off before I can even think about sitting still for more than 5 minutes, lots of outdoor time is crucial for my creativity and productivity.
SO, WHERE DID IT ALL BEGIN? HOW DID YOU GET INTO ART?
Like all children, I have loved drawing from a very young age, and I’ve just never stopped. I think that drawing was positively reinforced in my developing years by my parents which has made it a key part of my life. I remember my first experience of commercial art was when my dad leant me his copy of ‘views’ by roger dean (which I still have). Since learning it was possible to make a living from creating worlds, I’ve never really wanted to do anything else.
HOW DID YOUR COLLABORATION WITH ORIGIN BEGIN?
I reached out to the team at A-side and showed them my portfolio. A couple weeks later we started work on this project together, so there must have been something in there that made them think my work would communicate the thinking behind this project appropriately.
WHAT WAS YOUR THINKING BEHIND THE ARTWORK FOR THE TRAILBLAZER DUO RELEASE?
The title of the brief was ‘out of this world’ and the image had to be split down the middle, so when together the packages displayed the full narrative. I began by sketching sci fi scenes, new worlds, advanced civilisations and psychedelic natural landscapes. We came to the conclusion that the image should be floral and visually potent with themes of collaboration & innovation. I wanted the viewer to have synaesthetic experience of the illustration, to be transported into the narrative of the Trailblazers coffee.
LASTLY, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU, ZACH?
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with A-side and Origin on this project so I'm hoping to collaborate with everyone again in the near future. I have a few exciting projects that I’ll be working on over the summer, some personal & some not. Before my partner & I fly to Nepal to walk through the Himalayas and travel down through India on a self-initiated art residency/adventure. We’ll be having an exhibition of our drawings, prints and artworks from the trip early in the new year!
Shop the Trailblazer Duo - here
Website - www.zachrush.bigcartel.com
Instagram - @zach_rush_
