Some artists, you can pick their work from a lineup. Others like Matthew Brandt? They offer something new with each new endeavor they take on. That was a big portion of what we talked about as he admittingly sat in a cafe on the east coast while I kept things cool in his native California. And while hearing his take on his various artistic styles, it was what he did with his Stretch Armstrong that caused me to want to ask more. Which is right where we begin this bicoastal chat.
Kendra: Being born in the early ’80s you got to grow up with some of the best pop culture out there. Were you inspired by any particular cartoons, movies, toys even when it came to creating your own art?
Matthew Brandt: The first thing I think of is the toy figure, Stretch Armstrong. It was a squishy toy filled with a liquid gel material. Eventually, there was a leak, and the toy suddenly became more interesting.
I began using his liquid insides for other purposes like making pigments and gluing things together. I actually used this to glue all the comic book posters to my room wall. As a kid in the 80’s I wanted to be a comic book illustrator. I was a huge X-Men, Spawn, anything Image comics fan. My favorite thing to do was to wake up early Saturday morning and watch cartoons and draw comic book characters. I spent a lot of time making my own comic books and characters.
