A foundational part of Lapstone & Hammer's mission is to support and collaborate with creators of all kinds to translate the passion they have for their crafts to the world at large. That artistic ethos has been a part of our identity from the very beginning, present in art exhibitions that we've hosted like the original Divine Lorraine Hotel collection or last year's Wet Paint Philly show. Now we are taking that connection even further with the Lapstone Artist Series, an ongoing collaborative project where we will partner with nationally known artists to curate a special capsule based on their own designs. For the debut edition we shine a spotlight on our hometown of Philadelphia to feature a truly unique artist, Keith Warren Greiman.
The work of Keith Warren Greiman defies easy description. His vibrant, kinetic, hand-drawn aesthetic - inspired by children's books, comics, cartoons, skate graphics and album covers - captures the gritty energy of the city around him and jumps right off whatever surface its on. A graduate of the Tyler School of Art, where he now teaches illustration, Greiman says he had to unlearn years of formal training to get down to a truer expression of his vision. Looking to contemporary Philadelphia artists that he loves like Keith Shore, Nate Harris, Jarmel Reitz and Kees Holterman for inspiration, Greiman has created an instantly recognizable style all his own that has been featured in the pages of Newsweek and The Fader, on murals for Elixer Coffee and Honeygrow, on the labels of Highway Manor Brewing and Evil Genius Brewing, and at countless art exhibitions around the country.
For his contribution to the Lapstone Artist Series, Greiman hit upon a theme of the "Big Bad Wolf". When Lapstone founder Brian Nadav first approached him about the collaboration, Greiman was already playing around with wolf imagery.
"I was stuck on the idea of The Big Bad Wolf for a while, just as like a fun thing to doodle. Then when Brian talked to me about working together, I thought it would be a cool image to put on apparel. My stuff is usually very busy and bright and happy, and I thought that something with a darker edge and more stark appearance would work really well for this."
The Lapstone Artist Series Vol. 1: Keith Warren Greiman capsule consists of a grey garment-dyed hoodie with a black and red "Big Bad Wolf" logo print on the back and a smaller two-tone wolf print on left chest; a mint green garment-dyed long sleeve tee with a green "Big Bad Wolf" logo print on the front and green and gold graphics printed on the right sleeve; and two satin-lined, unstructured 6 panel, flat brim corduroy hats - one rust colored with embroidered L&H on the front, and one black with an embroidered "Big Bad Wolf" logo patch on the front. The collection will also include 10 full color posters printed on heavyweight stock, numbered 1-10 and hand-signed by the artist.
Hoodie - $80
L/S Tee - $60
Hats - $42
Posters - $40
The Lapstone Artist Series Vol. 1: Keith Warren Greiman will be available on Saturday, October 10th @ 10:00am both in-store and online at lapstoneandhammer.com.
Photos by Evan Kaucher
Here are a few examples of Keith's work:
