COLLABORATE: BENNY EARTH DROP

Benny Earth Capsule 

8/6/21 FRI 2PM EST
Designed by Ben Jundanian
Printed by MAYB TMRW

The Benny Earth Drop is a project that’s been in the making for a long time now.

100% Recycled Cotton Shirts, Cotton Totes made in CA, and cycling caps hand marbled by Christin Ripley! All printed with Magna Colours ink out of the UK. An industry leader in eco-friendly, water based inks. Water-based inks are important because it means there is limited need for solvent-based printing systems, reducing the risk of harmful chemicals to our health and the environment. Which seemed fitting for our pepper earth design. 

We love collaborating with friends especially when they are long time ones, like 12+ years of friendship, friends! Get to know our talented pal who created this design for our latest drop.

Jundanian surrounded by a mural he designed for a private commission in Chestnut Hill, 2020

Ben Jundanian is a full time artist doing murals and illustrations and sometimes can be found teaching children's art classes in his free time. He grew up in the Merrimack Valley, north of Boston and for the past 5 years he and his wife have lived in a converted school bus where they split the year between Hampton, NH and Asheville, NC. We met Benny back when we were all in our 20’s living in Boston. Ben and Jared were bike messengers and as he likes to put it “where I got to know Jared and Laura before they were Jared and Laura.”

How long have you been making art?

Art became my full time gig in late 2015, but I've been painting murals and drawing since I was a little kid.

 
How did you get into doing what you do?

My father was an engineer and always had these nice fine point pens lying around, I would borrow them and use them to create intricate maps and architectural drawings, the usual stuff little kids draw, right? 

What gets you in the creative headspace?

I don't really listen to music when I'm working, usually I put on some history or car podcasts and zone out to some really long droning voices.  I find myself only looking up to change episodes every hour and change rather than skipping songs every ten minutes.

When you’re not working, what are you up to?

Feeling guilty about not working.  But also taking lots of walks with the dogs. Sometimes trying to make a single errand takes all day by doing it on a bike, and getting some time in at the local skatepark.

What's your favorite project you're working on?

I started doing a series of Freehand Machine Embroideries (think original drawings but in thread) and had a lot of people jump in line to get their favorite car/truck embroidered.  As someone who works almost exclusively in black and white paint, it was great to be able to take on a completely different medium/technique and give myself a little bit of a break from a medium I'd be using nonstop for almost a decade.

What’s the physically largest installation you’ve ever done?

I just finished painting a mural for an office space that wrapped about 60 feet of wall, most of the work I do is indoors, but I'm always on the lookout for a large outdoor wall!

With all of the chaos happening in the world- what keeps you focused and looking towards the future? 

I've raised my expectations of myself and lowered my expectations of others.  It keeps me more focused on doing better in my own life, and I spend less time upset over the perceived shortcomings of others.

What’s your favorite thing to eat with hot sauce?

Leftover breakfast scramble.  You kept me going for months when we were living out of our 4Runner! 

If you could eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?

Is this a trick question? Pizza.

Find Jundanian’s work here www.benjundanian.com and follow along with his adventures living on a bus and making art with his wife and two dogs ——-> here.

DON’T MISS THE DROP 8/6/21 FRI 2PM EST