Awesome Art Interview: Rich Davies

For years, Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net has been about two things only – awesome art and the artists that create it. With that in mind, we thought why not take the first week of the month to showcase these awesome artists even more Welcome to “Awesome Artist We’ve Found Around The Net. In this column, we are focusing on one artist and the awesome art that they create, whether they be amateur, up and coming, or well established. The goal is to uncover these artists so even more people become familiar with them. We ask these artists a few questions to see their origins, influences, and more. If you are an awesome artist or know someone that should be featured, feel free to contact me at any time at theodorebond@joblo.com.This month we are very pleased to bring you the awesome art of…

Rich Davies

Based in Carmarthenshire, Wales, Rich has worked as a graphic designer and illustrator for almost twenty years. Inspired by the movie poster and commercial art of his youth, Rich’s work is predominantly used in the entertainment and publishing industries.

Over the last few years Rich has gradually built up an impressive client base, from large film studios such as Disney, Warner Brothers and Sony to world renowned brands such as Coca Cola and publishers such as Rolling Stone, Conde Nast, Insight Editions and Bloomsbury Publishing. His commercial work has also led him to exhibit in various pop culture galleries in Los Angeles, New York, Marseille, London and Zurich as well as published in various design and pop culture publications throughout the world.​​​

JOBLO: What got you started as an artist?
RICH: Since I was a young kid, I’ve always loved to draw and paint. It was just something I was attracted to and probably the only thing I was half good at doing! I went on to study graphic design in art college as this seemed the best option to make a living being a creative at the time. In my evenings though, I would spend hours and hours just sketching and refining my drawing skills. I would start posting these sketches and digital paintings online through platforms like DeviantArt and Behance which eventually started getting some attention with clients.

Who were some of your favorite artists growing up?
Growing up as a kid in the 1980s I was very fortunate to be constantly surrounded by movies, books and toys which all had this amazing commercial art created by some supremely talented artists. All these great movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Back to the Future, and Star Wars had some truly memorable poster art by the likes of Drew Struzan and Richard Amsel. I think I would probably spend hours just staring at these posters on my bedroom wall just trying to work out how they were done! It wasn’t just movie posters either, I adored the artwork of Derek Riggs and all those fantastic record covers he created for Iron Maiden. I was also a huge comic fan too so the likes of Simon Bisley, Brian Bolland and Dave McKean were artists that I would try and seek out and discover more of their work. I think it’s safe to say that I was a like a sponge soaking up inspiration by commercial art in its various forms.

Who do you really dig these days, follow on Instagram?
There are so many talented commercial artists around today and I’m fortunate enough that I can call some of these friends too. They are a constant source of inspiration as well as motivation to always keep improving the standard of my work. The likes of Doaly, Sam Gilbey and Orlando Arocena might be familiar names to many – just amazingly talented artists and so prolific (I so wish I could be like that!). There’s also Courtney Autumn Martin whose work I have a huge admiration for as well as the likes of illustrators Pete Lloyd and Wolfgang LeBlanc whose work I also admire and enjoy. I am lucky enough to be a member of the Poster Posse art collective too who are worth a follow as they have so many talented artists on their books so check them out!

What advice would you have for budding artists today?
Trying to stand out in a really competitive industry like commercial art and design is a tough gig but I would say be prepared to put the hours and work in. I wish I could say that there were shortcuts to success but there aren’t unfortunately. Ensure you take the time to refine and improve your skills – this takes time but is ultimately worth it. Also, it’s great to be inspired by other artists and what they do but don’t just copy what they do. Find something that you’re interested in and develop your own artistic voice. This sense of individuality is what will make you stand out from the crowd. Some of the artists that I mentioned above have done this and you can see this in their distinctive work.

What should we be looking out for from you in the future?
As usual, there are some things that I can’t mention due to them being top secret projects! However, I can say that I have a few new movie poster prints coming out this Fall with the lovely folk at Hero Complex Gallery as well as some new work popping up in a series of popular art books. I’ll also have some new publishing work turning up towards the end of the year and into the new year.

Being a fansite, we have to ask you… What are some of your favorite movies/TV shows of all time?
Most of my work revolves around movies and pop culture so naturally I am a huge movie nerd. With regards to movies, it’s things like Star Wars and Jaws in particular is up there in my all-time favourites list. Also, the likes of Aliens, Once Upon a Time in the West, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Mad Max Fury Road are all in my top ten. With TV, it has to be the reboot of Battlestar Galactica (surely one of the greatest TV shows?), along with The Prisoner, The Sopranos of course along with the original series of Star Trek and one for nostalgia, Columbo!

Scroll down to check out some of our favorite art pieces from Rich as we continue to follow his journey across his Website and social media hubs: Instagram / Facebook / X / Threads / Behance / PosterSpy / Store

Alien

Batman Begins

The Big Lebowski

Bruce Lee

Casino Royale

Escape From New York

The Exorcist

First Blood

From Dusk Till Dawn

Ghostbusters

Halloween

The Killing

A Nightmare On Elm Street

Ocean’s Eleven

Point Break

Pulp Fiction

Robocop

Scream

Shaft

The Shining

Starship Troopers

Superman: The Movie

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

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