Full Name: Shaun Everett Topper
Age: 23
Currently Residing: Long Island NY
Currently Listening to: Social-D, Johnny Cash, Bach, Danzig.
People
always ask me how I find the individuals I feature. I find them here,
there and everywhere. It is essential with this magazine to find unique
individuals out in the wild so to speak. I was in Long Island one night
for a benefit event and there were many artists there showing their
work. I walked around the very large venue looking at different pieces,
but there was some pieces arranged by the stage that kept calling me
over. I looped several times, but the art I was most attracted to was
that of Shaun Topper.
He was nowhere to be found. He was in fact a
model in the fashion show that was about to take place, but I had no
knowledge of this. I decided to leave my card near one of his pieces
in exchange I took one of his cards. Several days went by and then I
decided to hit him up. He said he was wondering who the card belonged
to!
Shaun's art speaks to the rock and roll side of me...the love of tattoos side of me...the love of skulls side of me. His art reminds me of all these things as well as perhaps skateboard graphics of a time ago (Think Mike McGill's deck with the skull and sword). Shaun is working hard at getting his art shown by doing various shows and is hopefully working on a website so others may see his talent!
How
long have you been drawing? Do you do other mediums of art?
I always drew when i was a kid. Drawing, painting, two dimensional art was always my thing until I was in college. I put my drawing on the back burner for a while and studied ceramics. My focus was on throwing on the pottery wheel. I threw ceramic percussion instruments like udus, batas, bongos, congas, and other hand drums from different cultures around the world. I'd throw them, fire them, skin them with goat skin, tune them... it was a
really in depth process but produced a professional quality sounding drum. In the past year I've gravitated back towards two dimensional images. Its more practical for me though I'm not planning on abandoning ceramics altogether.
You seem to be having a big theme with skulls. Any reason in particular and is there a certain theme you like to maintain in your work?
The skull is just such a powerful image to me. Its a timeless symbol of mortality and i really just like the way it reads from an aesthetic standpoint. I find that for me personally, dark imagery hits harder than any other. I don't necessarily like to keep any certain theme in my work as much as I like to keep it solid. I really like a strong and bold image.
Your
art reminds me a lot of old skateboard decks or tattoos...any relevance?
Definitely. I grew up as a skater punk. I love the style of art that was in that subculture. Skateboarding in general wasn't so mainstream and neither was the art. Same with tattoos. It was lowbrow stuff for a lowbrow crowd and had no intentions of catering to anyone else. It was a "If you don't like it, then fuck you" attitude. For some reason I've always been drawn to that scene.
Where would you most like to see your art?
Projected into the night sky like the bat symbol.
What inspires you as an artist?
It might sound strange but I feel most inspired when i reflect on work I've already done. I hate it all. It can always be better. It inspires me to push my work to the next level. If I ever look at something I've done and decide it cant get any better then what's the point of going on? I never want to plateau. Change it up. Push it forward. Don't get stagnant.
Who influences you the most? 
All the artists I admire, many of whom I am surrounded by on a daily basis.
It doesn't really have any particular significance. I just wanted to leave a mark on my work other than a signature.
What direction do you feel your art is headed or where would you like to see it go? Any future projects in the works?
I don't necessarily want to take my art in any specific direction. I work in a very manic fashion. I don't like to plan things out. I get an idea, I put it down on paper. I imagine future projects to be bigger and more complex.
Where can people find your art?
Right now I've got a My Space page for it ...its in terrible need of an update but all of the work on there as in this article is available to anyone who is interested.
Favorite element (earth, air, water or fire) which do you prefer and why?
I'm going to go with water based on its versatility. Water can be solid, liquid or gas. Bruce Lee taught me that if you pour water into a cup it becomes the cup, if you pour water into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, and water can crash. Waters a chameleon. I'll be water, thanks.
If you would like to say hello to Shaun on My Space visit him HERE. If you would like to email him at theluckyzero@yahoo.com.
