In 1995 I ended up framing a bunch of my new prints as gifts for my family’s Christmas. That year my good friend, MJK, stopped in for his yearly visit and dose of my Mom’s homemade tamales. He happened to select “Fire” as the print he liked best and went home with it. A short time later I got a call from him asking if I could re-do the image as a tondo for use as a Tool t-shirt image.
I worked the new image out using photocopies of the original print as a base to build out from. No sense in reinventing the wheel. Once I had the main image filled out to a circular composition it still needed something to contain it. The solution was a ouroboros in the style of the Olmec earth dragon. I inked out a copy and was ready to send it along when the call came from M to add a logo in the same black and white style for the front of the shirt as well. I ended up using an overhead view of the boat as a mandorla or vesica piscis shape to contain the TOOL lettering. The “Os” are formed by ripples in the water.
I believe the images ended up being printed on green and dark brown t’s and sweatshirts. I don’t think they’re produced anymore. I still see one every now and then at Tool shows and it makes me smile.
As with a few of my other images, “Fire” was later reinterpreted into the painting “Bloom (Isis)”. But that’s another story…
3 comments:
I love the way the TOOL members work regularly with other artists like you, Alex Grey, Chet Zar etc. It participates in making their universe so special, unique, complex, rich and fascinating.
It's interesting to see how different arts mixing together create an entity. That's what makes TOOL such a special band, the music is amazing, but the band can't be reduced to music, it's so much more than that.
I discovered your work thanks to them a while ago and I really love what you do. I really wish I had more money to buy TOOL's merchandising as well as some prints from you ! Someday maybe...
Elisabeth / Eternal_Return
I actually have this shirt! It's my favorite tool shirt, which i have many of by the way. I'm actually pretty protective of it as I am also aware that they are no longer in print. Adding the ouroboros was a great idea!
AWesome shirt, I also have one and know its value. I am planning on getting the Ouroboros tattooed.
-David
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