LIKE MANY A TARLO ART TALE BEFORE, JACK TARLINTON TAKES SOME BANTER AT THE BAR AND TURNS IT INTO TWISTED REALITY .
WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL INSPIRATION FOR CHIMA’S ISSUE#11 PORTRAIT?
It’s a long time ago now, but I have a vague recollection that Dustin (Dollin) and a bunch of us had been watching The Chappelle Show. We were binge watching this stuff and catch phrases from the show started creeping into our conversations over beers at the pub. The Charlie Murphy character etched his way into our psyches, and there is an episode where he talks about Rick James. I think it was Davey Cotsios (original staff writer) who suggested that Chima needed to become Rick James in his portrait. Rick James it would be, and making him as a sculpt is the only way that was going to work as I think Chima was overseas on tour and out of reach. And hey, didn’t Rick Howard skate to a Rick James song? That clearly needed to be one-upped with a portrait.
DID YOU OWN A COPY OF THE ALBUM YOURSELF, FOR REFERENCE?
Nope. This was strictly a Google search effort. Davey might have it. The deepest I go into that era and style of music is Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly on vinyl, and it’s in very poor condition, I should chuck it out…
ORIGINAL ALBUM ART: RICK JAMES | STREET SONGS | RELEASED: APRIL 1981
HOW MANY HOURS WOULD YOU ESTIMATE WENT INTO THE BUILD?
Once I had the image in my head, I just went for it. I have to admit the whole thing was under planned. I didn’t sketch it out, though I did keep the final format in mind. I built the house first, out of scale… then I made the wire armature to fit, fleshed it out in clay and while that was drying, painted everything else. The last step was to paint Chima, which was pretty quick. I made the background terrace out of book binding board, a dense kind of cardboard you can buy at art shops, and the windows are balsa and clear plastic. I think the tree is a fig tree stick from the local park. I was using this as a learning exercise, and it had to be done quickly, so it was a pretty crude. Overall, I’d say that the whole build was a few days.
“…didn’t Rick Howard skate to Rick James? That clearly needed to be one-upped with a portrait.”
WHEN DID YOU FIRST START DABBLING IN SCULPTURE?
Clay and I go back to before pre-school. Apparently I stepped up from play dough when I was about three. Lego was a big thing for me too. I made sculpture based stuff in primary and high school, but kind of lost touch with it until we started the mag. I just decided to go for it again as I now had an excuse to let rip and try pretty much anything I wanted.
FAKIE FLIP FROM THE INTERVIEW | 2009 | SEQUENCE: STEVE GOURLAY
WHAT WAS INVOLVED IN PHOTOGRAPHING IT?
It was a pretty primitive shoot to say the least… I just set it up on a trestle table in my little attic, which is an appalling place for photography. Poor old Pete Daly came over one night and set up an umbrella, some reflectors and some slaves, and just shot the thing in the most cramped space imaginable. In this instance I knew I could get what I wanted then do the rest of the grading in Photoshop.
“I’ve been looking for a bell jar that’s just the right size to put it in, then I’m going to give it to Chima’s mum.
I KNOW MANY OF YOUR SCULPTURES LITERALLY VANISHED OR DECAYED INTO THE OBLIVION OF YOUR ATTIC. DID CHIMA SUFFER A SIMILAR FATE?
Yes and no. This is still in that attic. The house and other stuff are screwed but Chima has survived. I’ve been looking for a bell jar that’s just the right size to put it in, then I’m going to give it to Chima’s mum.
“I’M CHIMA FERGUSON, BITCH!” | 2016 | PHOTO: THOMAS ROBINSON
