If you've been looking for some ways to spruce up your walls for a perfect Zoom background, consider a piece of public service announcement art created by some of the best rock-poster artists in the world.
Professor B Miller is the local musician behind the robot-fronted Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra, but in real life, he's artist Michael Buchmiller, the creator of Hand Carved Graphics. These days, he's also creative director of Graphic Business Solutions (GBS) in El Cajon.
“I was part of the rock poster art scene of the late '90s. early 2000s," Buchmiller writes via email.
During that time, Buchmiller designed for bands like Fall Out Boy, Social Distortion and the Replacements. After being featured in a couple books about poster art, he went on to gallery shows, signings, and South by Southwest and Bumbershoot.
"In the process, I made friends with a lot of the other artists doing rock poster art of that era,” Buchmiller added.
After the pandemic struck, Buchmiller put his rock and art connections to work to launch EraseCOVID.com, which sells posters, cards, magnets and other items featuring stunning visual representations of advisories and advice. Themes vary from washing your hands andnot touching your face to staying home, but with an artist's edge and rock & roll aesthetic.
“When the pandemic hit, we were just trying to figure out what we could do to help," Buchmiller writes. "I started designing workplace safety posters based off CDC and WHO guidelines that companies could put up in their break rooms to remind everyone of critical information. I decided to just pick one point at a time and make something really striking for it.”
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Buchmiller noticed that artist Scott Sugiuchi was also posting his own take on PSA art and pitched him on the idea of joining forces. Then, Buchmiller approached his GBS, and soon it was on board, too.
The result is a collection of amazing art representative of this time we're living in. There are more than 60 artists from 9 different countries represented by the project, and that number is still growing, including a couple other artists with San Diego ties, including La Mesa's McHank (Re-Animated Records, Finish This Zine, local print-making classes), and an Italian artist who goes by the name Crap Man who had previously worked with Rocket From the Crypt.
“The project is structured so every purchase of artwork goes on to help in multiple ways," Buchmiller writes. "The proceeds are split evenly between the artist, the printer and MusiCares Covid-19 Relief Fund. It's a nonexclusive license with the artists, so they are still free to use their own art however they see fit. It really seems like a winning scenario for everyone involved.”
Check out all of the art collections at eraseCOVID.com
