Paint My Words

Artist: Hugh Macleod

Website: www.gapingvoid.com

Commentary Hugh would describe himself as a cartoonist. I would describe him as a marketer.  The two terms are not entirely distinct, in that one can be a cartoonist as well as a marketer.  He is unique in that many artists lack the desire or knowledge to promote their own work.  While artist often cultivate their own style and thus progress artistically, they often fail in the realm of progressive marketing.  Hugh Macleod has succeeded, and is continuing to succeed at both.  From his extensive blog, one can gather that he spent years in New York drawing small cartoons on the back of business cards. Those were Hugh’s “seven years” – the theoretical learning curve whereby one learns and becomes competent in any desired skill.  Those seven years were the backbone for Hugh overcoming what Seth Godin another great marketer and author of business related books would describe as “The Dip”.

Hugh’s cartoons are simplistic in design, often black and white, full of seemingly random forms, often containing figurative shapes which are used along with words to create an insightful joke. Additionally, Hugh Macleod has authored a book titled “Ignore Everbody” which is a motivational conglomeration of some of his prized cartoons along with reprocessed and synthesized thoughts from his frequent business/marketing related blogging.  Hugh Macleod is now working on his second book “Evil Plans”.  Furthermore, Hugh has experimented with some larger canvases as well as journal pages as an artistic medium.

He is the first artist that I am profiling, namely because his website and purpose have been an inspirational force behind my own planned blogging pursuits as an artist.  I am fond of some of his larger scale works as they evoke a sense of loneliness and emptiness within the viewer.  His smaller work on the back of business cards however will most likely be the vehicle of his notoriety.  There are few if any artist working in the same medium with such an available and prodigious body of work.  See for yourself by clicking her which will take you to a google image search for GapingVoid Hugh’s “brand”.