| “I’m
one of those individuals who tends to view
everything with
artistic merit.” —Arminski
Mark Arminski was born in 1950 in Detroit,
Michigan. He began studying art in the Oakland
Community College (MI) and pursued printmaking
in Stone Lithography at the Kalamazoo Institute
of Arts. Rounding out his formal education
was his stay at the Dynamic Graphics Education
Foundation in Peoria, Illinois, where he
studied computer generated art.
From an early age, Arminski had a great
interest in art but his tastes in the alternative
would only years later flourish into various
movements and styles. In high school, he
would create his own rock concert posters
during class lectures - influenced by legendary
local poster artists such as Gary Grimshaw
and Carl Lundren. Growing up in the 1970s
has left a big impression in his work, from
his early appreciation of bands like The
Doors and Jimi Hendrix to his interest in
Pop art, Arminski has designed a whole new
level of poster art. With a unique retro
style of using nontraditional colors: big
bold and bright colors, and an unsurpassed
lettering dominating the poster layout.
“From the mid '70s to '80s, rock artists
were doing black and white flyers and that's
all they were doing. I thought, wouldn't
it be cool to do nice color posters again?”
states Arminski. His attempt to revive a
generation and innovate has made him an
icon of success among rock collectors, and
has given him an outlet to design for major
international acts such as Smashing Pumpkins,
Stone Temple Pilot, Nine Inch Nails, Black
Crows, Marilyn Manson, Los Lobos, Iggy Pop,
Aerosmith and many others.
Arminski is far from satisfied to be pigeon-holed
into one discipline. Working on a wide variety
of surfaces such as paper, canvas, cement
(murals), silkscreen, and even human skin
(body painting and tattoos). At times controversial
for his themes and events, however, he is
never boring! Some of his noteworthy inclusions
were body painting a live female model in
front of cheering onlookers and also his first
one man show titled “Untamed Eroticism.”
A show which was given by Keith Howarth, infamous
owner of Royal Oak - Michigan's deliciously
erotic boutique. Noir leather was put on to
protest the recent Helms Senate bill to prohibit
federal grants funding of “indecent
art.” Ironically, many of Arminski’s
“Phoenix” painted nudes were an
indirect result of these very grants - as
a result the show was a sensation. His posters
have been showcased in many exhibits, in 1996,
he participated in the “Joint Show,”
an event held in Cleveland, where the crème
de la crème of rock art, past and present
gathered. Also highlighting the alternative
Rock and Roll art was his presence in the
“A Rage in Hogtown” in Toronto,
Canada. In addition, the German Museum (fur
Kunst und Gewrbe) acquired twelve posters
for its permanent collection of contemporary
graphics.
What can we conclude? Arminski has had an
outstanding artistic career, he continues
to explore new mediums, his popularity is
growing every day with rock poster art, and
today, he is one of the foremost rock concert
poster artists in world.
|
Hosted by