Embracing the Flames is the Swedish illustrator, Janne Karlsson’s latest book. It consists of
63 self-contained sketches which characteristically castrate mainstream cultural
norms. Karlsson’s bleak landscapes are littered with dead trees, piles of human
skulls, nooses and bottles of booze. There are “sick bastards” going nowhere
& losers searching for unanswerable questions. Like us, they live in a world where
religion is phoney & hateful and death is always only a heartbeat or two
away.
The title poem is ironic in that it reveals an
intensely vulnerable side to the artist. The first three captions boldly state,
“We were born to embrace the flames, to kiss the fire, to eat the torch.” Instead
of leaping headlong into “the fire” our hero Janne is later to be seen as prostrate, unable to
move. He concedes, “I don’t burn very well without you honey. I don’t burn at
all.”
Karlsson was born to create and his work has
a rapid-fire, spontaneous feel to it. In the interview
which follows, Karlsson says he works quickly & without much revision. He has
a strong, intuitive feeling especially when the job is done, “If the ‘feel’ of the piece is right, then the
drawing is right too.” He further reckons, “everything looks better when you keep it
simple. Also, the older I get, the more impatient I become. I need to make it
fast and get onto the next project.”
This manic fury to get it down & then to
move on means Karlsson’s work is continuous. He simply creates without too much
intellectualising about it. Consequently, his art is usually piece-meal rather
than a longer sustained activity.
Although these pieces are largely independent
of each other, Karlsson explores many common themes throughout: the failure of
relationships, solitude, depression, pain & the possibility of redemption.
Karlsson’s work is edgy & extremely
varied in subject matter. Sometimes his art expresses a gritty sense of triumphantalism, yet in the next panel or two, you might feel a deflated, gob-smacked
melancholia.You might laugh yourself stupidly over several pages & then you might get
an uncertain, creeping sense that the composer’s walls are only loosely flailed
together by some dodgy sticky tape.
(all illustrations reprinted with the approval of the artist)
This is a mature, independent series of surreal
drawings by Karlsson. He presents a fascinating world of characters who are essentially in search of love & meaning. Yet the people he portrays are largely seen as trapped by personal deficiencies and larger inexplicable cultural &
political forces. Karlsson transcends these boundaries thru his skill at consistently
illustrating how badly people are fucked up.
INTERVIEW WITH JANNE KARLSSON- 13 FEBRUARY 2016
Janne, when did you first realise you had a knack for drawing? What sort
of sketches did you accomplish then?
“I guess it occurred to me as a child when my classmates hung over my
bench, laughing at my drawings and asked me to draw cartoons of the teachers,
often in obscene situations. Which I gladly did.”
Who were some of your early influences?
“Don Martin and MAD magazine. Later on, in my teens, American and South
European underground artists.”
I have to ask this but did you have a happy childhood?
“I was fed, I had roof over my head and I was able to breathe.”
When did you start publishing your work and what were some of the places
where it first appeared?
“My first hits were in local papers. I recall I won the second prize in
some drawing contest. I was probably 9-10 years old. My first ‘real’ published
piece (where I was being paid royalty) was in a Swedish comic magazine named
MegaPyton. It was in 1991. A horrible comic strip it was.”
How did you arrive at your current style of illustration?
“ I was fed up with drawing these endless details, and kind of realized
that everything looks better when you keep it simple. Also, the older I get,
the more impatient I become. I need to make it fast and get onto the next
project.”
Do you have a set routine when you go about drawing & writing? Do
you create everyday? Do you work quickly without much revision?
“No. I draw because I have to. It could be anywhere, anytime, in any
medium. Drawing is what keeps me somewhat mentally stable. Yes, I pretty much
create everyday. My anxiety never takes a rest. Quickly and very seldom with
any revision. If the ‘feel’ of the piece is right, then the drawing is right
too.”
Your work has appeared in over 300 magazines worldwide and you have published
several books to date. What have been some of your major achievements to date?
“Drawing for and being paid by both the Catholic Church of Sweden and
the Hells Angels at the same time.”
No one is really listening to us right now, but tell me mate, are you
really like many of the mad fuckers that you create on your pages?
“Hahaha! You´ll have to ask my girlfriend!”
Turning to one of your latest books, Embracing the Flames why did
you decide to publish it through Leaf Garden Press, rather than say, your own
publishing company?
“Because I´m lousy at marketing. Come the day when I can actually make
some sales and profit off the Svensk Apache books, I´ll never EVER turn to any
other publisher.”
Is there much ink left up there? What current projects are you working
on now?
Have you ever seriously contemplated longer projects, such as a graphic
novel?
“I´m always working on several projects. Currently it´s 2-3 chapbooks
with my dear friend Wolfgang Carstens, and there´s an illustrated poetry
collection in Swedish with Emma Henriksson and Stewe Sundin. I´m also working
on another Svensk Apache anthology which will feature 10-12 brilliant poets
from Sweden, USA and Canada.”
Thanks again Janne for your time!
Buy Embracing the Flames here: http://leafgardenpress.blogspot.com.au/2015/10/embracing-flames-by-janne-karlsson.html
