Hekate Publishing & Orphan Paper Imprint

November 07, 2020

Jefferson Dylan Iwanski, Michael D. Davis and Coates Walker

November 07, 2020/ A.F. Knott

Hekate started out interviewing New York City street artists before publishing our first incredible little book of poetry: Dan Tompsett’s And So the Flies. We have continued our support of talented creatives, no matter what their genre or format. Today, I’ve asked permission of three Hekate artists to feature some work from their “sketch pads.”

Pinch Me It’s Christmas, was written and illustrated by Jefferson Dylan Iwanski, an artist I had been following on Instagram around the time Ken Crist sent me a spot-on book of children’s poetry which called for an illustrator. Jeff was approached, said sure, and from the get go, the two were Starksy and Hutch. Hoping they’ll do more.

Iwanski has a day job, is a musician, but remains one of the truly original living American illustrator-cartoonists, a category arbitrarily assigned as he’s so difficult to pin down. Jeff has the essential irreverence for convention and expectation (a major stumbling block for many writers and artists: “I have to do it this way or won’t be accepted.”) He delivers the ball like Dan Quisenberry, the submarine style MLB baseball pitcher of the 80s. not caring how the windup looks, all his images ending up in the strike zone. He evokes Don Martin, Ralph Steadman and Klee, melding caricature, watercolor and texture onto paper, his renderings rough and profound.

Michael D. Davis is young, prolific and talented, an ever evolving writer-cartoonist. He evokes Thurber, Gary Larson and Hammett. No telling where this brilliant young fella will end up. His work makes me snort with surprise and laugh out loud. I know through out correspondence, he possesses the essential elements for success in his craft: A genuine and intense curiosity in people and places, of all things human, a sense of irony, and a relentless ability to explore.

Michael detailed his own work onto the front hood of his ride.

Coates Walker is the ‘old master’ of the lot (sorry, Keith) and in that, precious and nearly uncategorizable. I met him on Flickr, astounded how his collages composed the modern informational world while seeming at once effortless and immensely complex. Every time I looking at his work, I want to ask someone, “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” and feel like that fellow who stumbled onto the storage unit containing all of Vivian Maier’s negatives. Uninterested in copyright, Keith allows images to be used with only reference. He has worked for six decades in art, remaining incredibly prolific, making 7, 8, 9 exquisite compositions a day. Like Jeff Iwanski, he is also a musician and like Jeff Iwanski, cares little for convention. He challenges the notions of what is expected in both content and composition and has provided us images for several of Cindy Rosmus’ brilliant collections. Coates Walker is one of a kind. I picked some of his latest at random, all incredible.