#first2print

FIRST2PRINT: I noticed one of the images on your website shows a man wearing a printed shirt and holding a skateboard with the same print. Are you associated with a deck company?

AB: Well that young man is my nephew, Anthony T. Boone. No I'm not associated with any skate deck company. This was a prototype skateboard that I had designed in 2014. I curious to see how it would look with my artwork, but in the future I would love to collaborate  with then. Another way of inspiring the inner city youth to get involved with with something they love and art at the same time.

FIRST2PRINT: What's your background? Ie. Where are you from and where did you learn about painting?

AB: I'm a self taught artist, sculptor, originally from Newark, NJ most of my up bringing I grew up in East Orange, NJ. Learn how to create from my parents they were both Entrepreneurs my dad owned his own construction company, my mother was a seamstress.

FIRST2PRINT: You were working as a train conductor when you were 22, how did you make the transition into being an artist?

AB: The transition came organically things just happen through time, life experience each painting was growth. 

FIRST2PRINT: When did you get the idea to bring your artwork in to the realm of fashion?

AB: Well my tee shirt line was inspired by my baby brother just thinking it would be cool to see my work on Tee shirt it wasn't after his death that I was inspire to complete the what he thought was a cool idea. My women's line came about just meeting a very well know local designer Marco Hall we both respected each other's work  from day one, and we just made it happen no contract  just a hand shake. I got the garment created through First2Print and Marco Hall created the design and put together our first event titled "Art Meets Fashion".

FIRST2PRINT: Do you collaborate with designers ever?

AB: Yes I've collaborated with two designers in the past Mike Hooper and Marco Hall. This year I'm doing my own designs myself.

FIRST2PRINT: Had you ever used digital fabric printing as an artistic or creative form of expression before?

AB: I started using digital printing in 2014, before that I was experimenting with silk screen printing.

FIRST2PRINT: What did you think of it? 

AB: I loved it! It the closest you can actually get to the actual painting, and it was my vision and or concept to wearable art. "Wear the masterpiece because you are a masterpiece."

FIRST2PRINT: Do you feel like having your work printing digitally on fabric opened new doors for you, or did you find it limited your work?  

AB: It open up so many possibilities! Through graphic design, and digital technology my work has a more broader market through intellectual properties.

FIRST2PRINT: You follow the motto "There are no rules in painting", and from that you've taken to using brushes that aren't traditionally used in formal painting, and materials like dirt and sand, things that are more three dimensional. Do you think you'll continue to explore this?

AB: Absolutely! I love the freed to explore, to not be controlled by the laws of art. My goal is the collector or view see my freedom through my work.

For more about Anthony, check out his website here.