Tim Biskup is a guy in demand. His work can be seen in galleries, on t-shirts, as toys, online, in books… the list is endless. He specialises in character-driven, surreal snapshots of fantasy landscapes which are reminiscent of artists such as Joan Miro and take inspiration from illustrators such as the classic Disney artist Mary Blair, who was responsible for much of the look and feel of Alice in Wonderland. He’s got a solo show coming up as well as numerous other projects, so he’s an extremely busy guy. Nevertheless, he still managed to free up a bit of time for a few words with Thunder Chunky…

Hello and welcome to the world of Thunder Chunky, how are you today?

Fine, thanks. It’s nice to be here.

For people who are new to your work, how would you describe yourself and what you do?

I’m mainly a painter. I do some prints, some toys, some tee shirt designs. All kinds of stuff. My style is best described as Baroque Modernism, because it’s inspired by mid-century modernism, but it’s very frilly and detailed. Not minimal.

You’re mad busy at the moment, preparing for another solo show. How are the preparations going and what can people expect to see once it’s all sorted out?

Samurai Jack Monster Stack

I’m doing all of the paintings on paper. I did quite a few of the ‘Push Over’¬ù pieces on paper and kinda re-discovered it for myself. I’ve been painting on wood for so long that I forgot how nice good old paper can be.

The paintings are very abstract, so far. The show is called ‘Virtue’¬ù. I’m not sure yet what the title is all about. I usually don’t understand my own work until after it’s finished. Even then, sometimes I don’t get it.

You’ve also just released ‘The Jackson 500: Volume 1’ which features 100 business card-sized paintings. What inspired you to paint at this size?

It’s quick and easy to work like that. I can try out new ideas with very little time & energy commitment. It’s like a sketchbook. I start off every show by doing 10-20 of them.

They’re also important because I can make them available relatively inexpensively. They are usually the first paintings to sell at my shows, because most people can afford them.

You produce a huge amount of work in diverse media such as prints, clothes, toys, sculptures and books. What areas are you going to focus your energy on for the remainder of 2005?

Helper 8″ Tall Soft Vinyl Toy

I’m getting ready for a big project for next year. It’s time to focus some energy outside the US. I’m planning things in 10 different countries! That & the usual toys and prints.

Gama-Go (A clothing and gift line that I developed with some partners and still do some design work for) is developing a secret project that will take up some of my time as well. It’s going to be pretty huge.

Finally, what’s the one thing everybody should do today?

Have fun.

You can find loads of Tim’s artwork and illustrations by going to www.timbiskup.com.