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Josh Hawkins Designed Tennessee Posters

"I was raised in Knoxville. I went to Karns High School, home of the Beavers! Which is definitely the most respected and feared mascot in the sports world." - Josh Hawkins

Today we are going to talk with Josh, the owner of our featured shop, TheBrainFreeze on Etsy. Josh is from Tennessee, but moved away, and found himself nostalgic for home, the heart of Tennessee. He started making posters from elements of original design and vintage book photographs. What you see here in the picture is a series of posters devoted to places in Tennessee. What a great idea to celebrate this state and honor the photographers of the past! Let's see what Josh has to say about himself and his creations. Here is his story:






"My name is Josh Hawkins and I live & work in NYC. I write music by day and design art by night. My artwork is not my career so I can do whatever I want with it. I like it that way. I take Polaroid pictures and dabble in lomography but most of my art usually consist of manipulated vintage photographs that have a surreal or dreamy feel.

It started when I started looking for artwork to hang in my home. I knew all about Hatch show print & Yeehaw print shop, who produce really great letterpress posters, but I struggled to find something that was in a more modern style. So I took it upon myself to make new artwork dedicated to Tennessee. The initial creative process for me starts by searching through my secret catalogue of images from old textbooks, public domain archives and photos I've taken. I almost never start a design from scratch. I just look for something that draws my attention and then from there it's a blur...

Even though I live in Brooklyn now I was born & raised in Tennessee. Moving away made me realize how great that state is. Now every time I come visit for Christmas or a quick escape from NYC I always pack 3-4 cameras and tons of film because I know I will find some great shots to capture. So even though I'm constantly surrounded by tall buildings & subways I find my roots always pushing me towards the scenery of the south for inspiration.

The only solid plans I have are just to experiment more with photography. I definitely plan on continuing to produce prints but my work will be less focused on a specific place. HOWEVER, I will not be a one hit wonder I promise you that!"

Here is his favorite poster, a tribute Knoxville, TN, the Marble City.

You can find his shop and other work here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheBrainFreeze