Artist Of The Month: Sean Simmans

Sean Simmans may be the most prolific artist you’ve never heard of (but, you have probably seen his work). Currently based out of Saskatchewan (and soon to arrive in the Northwest), Sean has worked with a surprisingly numerous amount of Oregon-based bands and small businesses, as well as having collaborated with Corvallis-based comedian and writer, Chris Riseley, to create the syndicated comic strip, Rizzo.

I met Sean through Chris, while seeking a cover artist and contributor for Saucetown, a humor magazine I’m working with on the side—it’s nothing near the scale of Exotic, nor did I anticipate a near-stranger from the internet would turn around a beyond-better-than-expected piece in less than a day. Since initially requesting his services, I’ve sent Sean random requests via text, ranging from a lake that is being filled with pizza sauce, to a comic version of underground rapper MC Lars—again, both projects were returned to me within hours.

So, we’ve established that Simmans is prolific, but what does his work look like? While definitely a bit "edgy" in some aspects, Sean’s style is very reminiscent of late-’70s comic books, particularly the work of Robert Crumb and Gilbert Shelton. However, there remains a certain flavor about Sean’s work, which puts him in a category a few notches higher than his influences—but he’d never tell you that.

I caught up with Sean via the internet, which also works in Canada (you learn something new every day). Regarding his inspiration, Sean cites his father:

"My father worked away in the bush, up north, when I was young. He used to bring home the comics that were laying around, when the camp dismantled, for me. Superman and the like...and fucking Mad magazine! The comics were fine, but Mad pretty much rotted my mind. I was about six. I started running comics in the local paper when I was fifteen, but ultimately took a real job mining and things stagnated for half a decade.

After I left the mining industry (and with all kinds of time on my hands), I started doing small press magazine covers and jpegs for sex web-zines. The early aughts were a boom time for me. I got back into comics when Chris Riseley and I created the Rizzo strip, and I’m sure we had at least seventeen fans."

As far as reception, Sean isn’t ashamed to admit it’s been niche:

"Most people don’t get the comics. It’s always been that way. As far as the art projects go, well...I now live in a fairly Christian region. There’s a gallery here that has a pile of my work for sale. Business is not booming, but it’s slow and fairly regular. The cool people get it, but most folks here want paintings of wheat fields and moose. I’d say I’m a niche act. My friends dig it, but they wouldn’t likely be friends, if we didn’t have common tastes and similar world views. That’s usually how friendship goes. Sometimes their eyes roll. Oh, Sean’s on a roll with naked chicks in space helmets or with animals wearing pants, again. And, sometimes they have to slap me back down to earth.

Chris has had to holler at me, to get my mind out of the gutter. ‘What the fuck were you thinking when you did this? Are you trying to alienate EVERYONE?’ It happens. When my wife and I separated, one of the last things she told me was, ‘And, another thing, as a social worker and a feminist, I want to tell you that your work is sexist!’ That’s a slippery term, "sexist." Plenty of people think it’s synonymous with misogynistic, but it isn’t. I love women. I think they’re better conversational company than men, generally. But, I also like it when they’re naked. As I told my ex-wife, I draw a lot of dicks, too, ya know?"

How does Sean Simmans describe his work? Well...

"It’s definitely a sloppy, self-taught aesthetic. I think it’s called "outsider art." When I first went online with my work, in the ‘90s, one fella called my work ‘childish and amateur.’ I always wanted to use it as a blurb on a book, but I’ve forgotten his name. My father wanted to send me to a university for the fine arts (he was fairly supportive, despite knowing that my mind had rotted), but I chose to make babies and go nickel mining, instead. Kids are stupid. So, I have no idea what my shit would look like if I had been properly trained. I like it the way it is. It’s unique, I’ve been told, often enough. Maybe that’s a kind way of saying it’s trash. My father said, in later times, ‘If you look at any one of Sean’s drawings, you will find a subliminal image of a man being raped by a wolf.’ I wish that was literally true."

You can see more of Sean Simmans’ work at SeanSimmans.com or catch him on Facebook by name.