The Skull Project by Matthew Amey A limited edition of 2000 hardcover books signed and numbered by the author.
151 skulls, 151 different artists, 18 different countries represented in 1 book!
This is just a sampling of the artwork contained within the book.
Visit skullproject.com for ordering information.
Limited Edition
the Skull Project
by Matthew Amey
“The science of design, or of line-drawing, if you like to use this term, is the source and very essence of painting, sculpture, architecture.”
A
- Michelangelo
rt arises from inspiration, and that spark can ignite from most anything — a peculiar dream, the hardened stares of unfamiliar faces looking out from a faded photograph, or an intricate spider web sprinkled with morning dew. As an artist, I use the world around me for both inspiration and reference — to give me ideas and the framework to express those images I see in my mind. My work tends to be peppered with several underlying themes — the battle of good versus evil, remembrance, faith, fantasy, heritage, culture. One theme that has interested me in tattoo art is the use of skulls — potent symbols of the temporary nature of our lives. Skulls have been used to signify danger, as religious icons, and to represent both piracy and secret societies. A skull can be evil, mystical, chilling, sorrowful or even comical. And it is a constant reminder of our own fragile mortality. This paradox has fascinated me, and led me to develop skull reference material for artistic work — an extensive framework of images to aid myself and other artists who are inspired by the many ‘faces’ of the human skull. That work culminated in “Skull Reference,” a book I created in 2003 of 151 line drawings of a human skull. Now I have taken that book one step further. I assigned those 151 line drawings to as many artists and asked them to pull from their own experience and inspiration to draw or paint their interpretation of the image. The results are compiled in this book. Enjoy.
Participating Artists The numbers correspond to the “Skull Reference” page each artist was given.
38 Sieto Netherlands van der Velde 39 Jeroen Derks Netherlands
79 Nic Montgomery
USA
121 Daniel DiMattia
80 Chad Koeplinger
USA
122 Bert Jackson
40 Rob Schwager
81 Johann Florendo
USA
123 Nico Schroder
Germany
82 Korie Wilson
USA
124 Chriss Dettmer
Germany
41 Hiro
USA Japan
Belgium Canada
1 Matthew Amey
USA
42 Paolo Acuna
USA
83 Jay Cavna
USA
125 Rob Conroy
USA
2 Todd Noble Holloway
USA
43 Jason Kundell
USA
84 Biagio Pagliarulo
USA
126 Steve Cross
Australia
3 Jay Cooper
USA
44 Erik Reith
USA
85 Jay Langer
USA
127 Matthew Ellis
4 Tres Denk
USA
45 Luke Stewart
USA
86 Jay Crockett
USA
128 Mike Shea
USA
5 Hoode
USA
46 Joe Capobianco
USA
87 Mike Bellamy
USA
129 Shawn McDonald
USA
6 Stacy Jascott
USA
47 Scott Smith
USA
88 Jamie (Tank) Smith
USA
130 Jeff Rassier
USA
7 Dave Fox
USA
48 Julio Rodriguez
USA
89 Tom Murphy
USA
131 Lee Hanna
USA
8 Jason Goldberg
USA
49 Tim Harris
USA
90 Nick Arena
USA
132 Annie Rubinstein
USA
9 William Thidemann
USA
50 Mike Giant
USA
91 Jack Rudy
USA
133 Bruce Gulick
USA
10 Ben “Chase” Thompson
USA
51 Steve Moore
Canada
92 Adam Mazza
USA
134 Grady Spades
USA
11 John Furse
USA
52 Bo McConaghie
USA
93 Max MacAndrews
135 Chad Soner
USA
12 Dan Pryor
USA
53 CanMan
USA
94 Paula Clark
USA
136 Phil Holt
USA
13 Christian Nguyen Switzerland
54 Jim Miner
USA
95 Fish
USA
137 Danielle DiStefano
USA
14 Brian Bruno
USA
55 Jackie Dunn
USA
96 Yoni Zilber
USA
138 Matt Rousseau
USA
15 Rodney Raines
USA
56 James Kern
USA
97 Shane Woodward
USA
139 Roger Selinger
USA
16 Dave Cummings
Canada
57 Joe Hegarty
USA
98 Chris O’Donnell
USA
140 Joel Long
USA
17 Dave Knight
Canada
58 Brent Vann
USA
99 John Guesr
USA
141 Yushi Takei
USA
Scotland
18 Anthony Pagano
USA
59 Daniel Albrigo
USA
100 Coco Electra
19 Robert Atkinson
USA
60 Jason D. Leisge
USA
143 Jime Litwalk
USA
20 Ron Wharton
USA
61 Jeremiah Barba
USA
101 Roberto Puerto Rico Torres Sierra 102 Bert Krak USA
144 Dave Waugh
USA
21 Martin La Casse
USA
62 Tina Forever
USA
103 Justin LiPuma
USA
145 Tim Hendricks
USA
22 Steve Tiberi
USA
63 Alex Reinke
104 Cody Meyer
USA
146 Corey Miller
USA
23 Josh Hoffman
USA
64 Tin Tin
147 Hunter Spanks
USA
24 Jack Mosher
USA
65 Nikki Lugo
25 Jon Kellogg
USA
66 Jon Dix
26 Boris
Hungary
67 Amina Reardon
Germany France USA Spain Denmark
Denmark
Canada
105 Lee Chien-Chihh
Taiwan USA
148 Genziana Cocco
Italy
107 Jay Fish
USA
149 Scott Silvia
USA
108 The Gus
USA
150 Shawn Barber
USA
Taiwan
151 Luke Atkinson
Germany
Switzerland
68 BJ Betts
USA
109 Benjamin
28 Titine Leu
Switzerland
69 Colby Long
USA
110 David Guthrie
29 Wido de Marval
Switzerland
70 Henning Jørgensen Denmark
111 Damien Rivera Puerto Rico
30 Rinzing Thaptzangky 30 Pat Lewis
Switzerland
71 Mike Rubendall
USA
112 Jessica M. Guzman
USA
71 Sean Rhodes
USA
113 Avi Vanunu
USA
72 Aaron Bell
USA
114 Vinnie Myers
USA
73 Eric Desmond
USA
115 John Reardon
USA
USA
116 Joseph Ari Aloi
USA
Netherlands
117 Matthew Amey
USA USA
32 Mick
Switzerland
Japan
106 Ron Domstead
27 Filip Leu
31 Seth Mushrush
142 Shige
33 Lal Hardy
UK
74 Matthew Amey
34 Jeff Srsic
USA
75 Marco Hengst
35 Kevin LeBlanc
USA
76 Zam
USA
118 Jacob Redmond
36 Tim Lehi
USA
77 Doug Hansen
USA
119 Papito
37 Justin Weatherholtz
USA
78 Needles
USA
120 Kurt Wiscombe
USA
USA Israel
Puerto Rico Canada
The Skull Project by Matthew Amey
Many artists were involved in the creation of this book and I can not thank them enough for their participation. I would also like to thank my wife, Lisa Tossey, for her love and support. To my knowledge, no people or animals were hurt in the making of this book.
Copyright Š 2007 TossAmey Studio All rights reserved.
www.skullproject.com No portion of this book may be reproduced, in any form, without written permission from the copyright owner. By submitting artwork for this project the artists have given permission to reproduce their work in this book.
Published by TossAmey Press 108 Tail of the Fox Dr. Ocean Pines, MD 21811 USA
www.tossamey.com
ISBN 978-0-9795197-0-3
the Skull Project by Matthew Amey
“What Skulls Mean to Me ” by Dave Fox
W
hen I was five years old, my younger brother was having a birthday party. He and all his two-year-old little friends were sitting around eating ice cream and cake, listening to Sesame Street songs on the record player. I decided that between songs I would secretly replace their good time singalongs with my Kiss Love Gun album. Seconds after Kiss started playing, a little girl began to cry. My mom slapped me, but I still had a great laugh. At nine years old, my grandmother bought me a copy of Ozzy Osbourne’s Speak of the Devil. In 1982, while most parents were scared of the Satanic ramifications of a heavy metal band leader dressed as the devil with blood dripping from his mouth and surrounded by evil minions, my grandmother was handing me this record and wishing me a “Happy Birthday.” Grandma was the best. As far back as I can remember, I loved loud music, dark images, and basically most things evil. Maybe it was just my disinterest and boredom with everyday life that made me this way, I don’t know. But something about breaking the norm and stirring up fear and emotion always felt satisfying to me. While other kids were doing their homework, I was playing Dungeons and Dragons and dreaming of monsters and demons. While those other kids played soccer, I was out doing tricks on my BMX bike in the middle of the street, being honked and yelled at by passersby. While they were listening to rehashed hippie music that their parents turned them on to, I was listening to heavy metal with my friends, going to shows and beating the crap out of each other. The “good” life bored me. I needed mayhem. As an artist and admirer of art, the skull is the ultimate representation of all that I live for. It is visual heavy metal. I see a skull and instantly have subconscious flashes of the morbid and diverse curiosities in this world that make me happy. It is the basic representation of all otherworldly and ungodly images and meanings - not a rose, heart, or sparrow, nor love, beauty, or affection. The skull is their antithesis: death. The freedom to be separate from the false hopes and dreams of the rest of the world. It is an escape from life. When I tire of other art, the grand ideas, twists, turns, bells, whistles and repetitive gimmicks that people come up with to express their innermost thoughts, I can always fall back on a skull. Always a breath of fresh air from the hard, thought-out world of art, skulls work anywhere, anytime. Simple, complex, or abstract, skulls are interesting. Skulls are powerful. Skulls can make little girls cry.
Matthew Amey
Oil on Panel
Skull Reference Page 1
Jay Cooper
Watercolor on paper
Skull Reference Page 3
Tres Denk
Watercolor on paper
Skull Reference Page 4
Dave Fox
Watercolor on paper
Skull Reference Page 7
Jason Goldberg
Watercolor on paper
Skull Reference Page 8
Rodney Raines
Acrylic on panel
Skull Reference Page 15
Dave Cummins
Watercolor on paper
Skull Reference Page 16
Joe Capobianco
Skull Reference Page 46
Acrylic on panel
Scott Smith
Watercolor on paper
Skull Reference Page 47
William Thidemann
Watercolor on paper
Skull Reference Page 9
Ben “Chase� Thompson
Watercolor on paper
Skull Reference Page 10
Yushi Takei
Mixed media on paper
Skull Reference Page 141
Shige
Acrylic on canvas
Skull Reference Page 142
Christian Nguyen
Watercolor on paper
Skull Reference Page 13
Brian Bruno
Watercolor on paper
Skull Reference Page 14
Filip Leu
Ink on paper
Skull Reference Page 27
Titine Leu
Acrylic on canvas
Skull Reference Page 28
Dave Knight
Watercolor and colored pencil on paper
Skull Reference Page 17
Anthany Pagano
Watercolor and gold paint on rice paper
Skull Reference Page 18
Luke Atkinson
Skull Reference Page 151
Ink on paper
151 skulls used for this project
Matthew Amey A self-taught artist from Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Matthew has been tattooing since 1991 and creating artwork for over 20 years. When not using a tattoo machine, he works in oil, acrylic, watercolor, glass, and digital design and continues to experiment with new mediums and techniques. Matthew is part owner of Independent Tattoo in Delaware. In 2005 he and his wife, Lisa Tossey, cofounded TossAmey Studio in Ocean Pines, Md., to showcase their photography and design work.
www.matthewamey.com www.independenttattoo.com
This is just a sampling of the artwork contained within the book.
Visit skullproject.com for ordering information.