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Artist Profile: Jimmy Frizzell

His Art Makes Him King Shit, But Don’t Ask His Wise-Ass Brother

Article By: Amelia Rose

Originally Published In The January 2017 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine

With the TV on in the background, unaware of the characters or story, Jimmy Frizzell sits on his couch and does what he knows best, creates art. From as far back as he can remember, he has been drawing on pretty much anything he can get his hands on. So much so that at one point he would draw in his head and forget to translate the ideas to paper. Most of the stuff that was actually translated to paper, was either given away or left behind. Luckily, his darling wife Abbey had saved some pieces from when he was in high school. He attended art school for about a year but realized quickly that he couldn’t stand the big-mouthed artists that also went there, so he left. For Jimmy, art is personal, and it humbles him. He would much rather give his pieces away than sell them for profit. “I like to believe I’m honest about what I do. I don’t hold it in high regard and that may be my own downfall.” At one point, he wanted to be a tattoo artist and apprenticed at a shop for a few years, but the fact that the clients couldn’t just drop off their arm and pick it up when it was ready was something he couldn’t dig.

Because his art is so personal, the idea of someone watching him that closely was weird. He doesn’t really even like his wife watching him draw. With a 1.4 rollerball pen and some cheap paper in hand, the ideas flow from Jimmy’s hand like water down the road. There isn’t one particular thing that inspires him, he relates to the clutter and chaos that surrounds us in everyday life. Most of his “inspiration” comes from things less easy to translate visually; memories, feelings, the sounds of cars, bikes, even a good song. What’s best about his style is that there’s never a plan for what the final product will be. It’s an adventure that he puts his heart and soul into, and knowing the final product ruins the experience. Hence, that is why you’ll never see him do commissions, and if you do, it’ll take longer than forever but you’ll get all you asked for and even more.

Recently, Jimmy has been branching out with his medium, dabbling in acrylic, spray paint, and even 1shot enamel. He is holding off on the acrylic until he can set up in a toddler-proof environment. He’s also moved to hard-pressed Bristol paper to give his sketches a more professional feel. Though even with some changes he is sticking to his own style which is incredibly important to him. In Jimmy’s words, the art in our industry follows whatever trend is popular and shifts back and forth. “I stopped really giving a f#@k. I’m in it for my own entertainment and if someone is on the same wave and digs my shit, then they’re ok in my book and if not that’s fine too.” Along with being involved in the arts from a young age, he’s been around motorcycles for as long as his father has had them. When his brother George (I guess he paints a bit, you may know him? Ehh, probably not…) got his dad’s bike and dragged him to an Easyrider Rodeo in Orange County, NY, he knew he’d be hooked.

He bought his first leather there and while it no longer fits, it’s stitched into the jacket he wears currently. Having grown up a punk-rocker, the art, music, and motorcycles just seem to fit together flawlessly. His goal right now is to build his own social media platform and gain a larger audience. Eventually, he’d like to travel and be able to attend shows and exhibitions, displaying his art and using what he does to meet people and make lasting connections. Unfortunately, he works a 50-60 hour-aweek job, and art often falls to the side but someday Jimmy would love to be able to call himself a full-time artist, without the art losing its purity. It is a pleasure and an honor to work alongside a human as creative and inspiring as Jimmy and I can’t wait to see where his art will take him. (P.S. Jimmy: I hope your thumb feels better.) If you want to see more of Jimmy’s art make sure you head over to his instagram page jimmy_suicide to check it out.

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