Formally educated in American and European history, poster artist Raymond Biesinger uses historical remnants, politics, and statistics to drive his work. He values content and intelligence in design — not just illustrative work that “looks nice” — and his work is increasingly conceptual, rather than empty or impersonal.
A self-taught illustrator and designer, Biesinger is foremost a graphic designer for periodical publications and advertisers, but his eccentric drawings also are visible on band posters – especially for his own band, The Famines. Though he doesn’t pay much attention to contemporary artists, Biesinger is instead influenced by minimalism, structure, rationality, and wit – aspects that are all apparent within his work.
Though some of Biesinger’s work utilizes color, his more enticing pieces are those that annunciate contrast within black and white imagery. His pieces are full of deep and heavy blacks that create a mono-chromatic environment. Infused with wit and cynicism, Biesinger utilizes a seemingly limitless array of media. These range from the simplistic pen, ink, and paint to the more complex photography, digital manipulation, typewriters, and hand-cut creations.
However, no matter which tool or technique Biesinger chooses to use, all of his work appears carefully hand-rendered and often is heavy in typography while the creatures, symbols, and objects that Biesinger illustrates all carry a highly minimalistic quality.
Since 2001, Biesinger — an Edmonton native and new resident of Montréal — has contributed his creative efforts to more than 800 projects, spanning more than four continents. His impressive list of clients includes advertisement and editorial illustrations for companies and periodicals such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Financial Times, Sub-Pop Records, and Toyota. He also runs a small-scale publishing company called Bulgravian Press and founded Edmonton’s biannual craft and art fair, Royal Bison.
Though Biesinger’s design work these days is primarily commissioned by well-established publications and companies, he continues to create unique poster and rock art. His clients on this front, however, tend to be smaller-scale local musicians such as Canadian bands Twin Fangs and Skip Jensen, Biesinger’s former band The Vertical Struts, and his current musical endeavor, The Famines.
A duo that splits its time between Edmonton and Montréal, The Famines includes Biesinger on guitar and vocals as well as Garrett Heath Krugar on drums. The band creates minimal noise-rock compositions – often in the same vein as Biesinger’s visual artwork. Founded in 2008, the band has released multiple EPs and live recordings, along with booklets of Biesinger’s Famines-inspired designs.
Throughout November, The Famines will continue a string of performances in Canada, where its tour van is without a doubt fully equipped with Biesinger’s eccentric band paraphernalia and illustrations, including the recently published A Visual History of the Famines.