Irene and the Buffalo Boys

Author/Artist Name

Matthew C. BestFollow

Files

Academic Level at Time of Creation

Senior

Date of Creation

Spring 4-25-2025

Artist Statement

As a creative, music and visual art are constantly intertwining for me. Music is something that has consistently influenced my work, whether it be with evocative imagery, a certain subject, or a narrative. Additionally, themes such as nature, nostalgia, observations on life, and the human experience lay the foundational groundwork for the art I make. Hailing from my upbringing in rural Tennessee, I spent much of my childhood listening to the historic music of Dolly Parton, Porter Wagoner, Loretta Lynn, and Willie Nelson, among others, who’s music often touched upon these very themes. The vivid storytelling of country music; songs about rural life, love, loss, and a reverence for the land, are concepts that are all incredibly moving to me as an artist. Irene and the Buffalo Boys is a love letter to these many wells I draw influence from. This body of work centers around my own fictional, vintage-inspired, country-western swing band, with gig posters, merchandising, and various branded pieces serving as a thematic backbone for what this hypothetical honky tonk group could be. Though my band is purely fictional, my goal for the viewer is to be mentally wisped away to a lively dance hall, hearing the strum of a six string, the bluesy whine of a pedal steel, the echoes of boots on a dirty, hardwood floor, and seeing the glow of a plethora of neon signs above their head.

Poster design is a fascinating relationship between imagery and typography. The puzzle-piecing game of visual hierarchy, usage of illustration, and the push and pull of information to create a functional piece of advertising is an exciting form of problem solving. In my poster for the band’s hypothetical Montana show, a whimsical, illustrated crescent moon follows the curve of the band’s logotype, leading the viewer’s eye through the entirety of the composition. I also wanted to incorporate a motif of natural imagery throughout many of my pieces, such as my Arizona poster, in which the composition is centered around a southwestern landscape, framed by a single saguaro cactus in front. Stippling is utilized as a form of mark making throughout the majority of my pieces, with multitudes of small, hand-placed dots adding value and texture to my illustrations, as well as creating a more vintage look.

There are many influences that inspire me in my artistic processes, and I’m always finding more to be enamored with. The bold poster compositions of Nashville’s historic Hatch Show Print showcases vintage, hand-cut type and imagery, creating eye-catching designs for countless events and artists to this day, with many, like Johnny Cash’s and Patsy Cline’s, remaining iconic for decades. Designer and illustrator Taylor Rushing pulls inspiration from American folk and psychedelic art to create stylistic, hand drawn visuals for his musical clients, whether it be a poster advertising Willie Nelson’s 89th birthday party, or a lush, floral album cover for Sierra Ferrell. A strong sense of composition, imagery, and typography, as well as an appreciation for vintage reference, are all aspects I draw from these influences as I navigate my own unique work in the colorful and illustrative identity of Irene and the Buffalo Boys.

Advisor/Mentor

Gregory Scott Cook, Jim Bryant, Jessica Fife, Katie Knoeringer, T. Michael Martin

Description

This body of work centers around my own fictional, vintage-inspired, country-western swing band, with gig posters, merchandising, and various branded pieces serving as a thematic backbone for what this hypothetical honky tonk group could be. Though my band is purely fictional, my goal for the viewer is to be mentally wisped away to a lively dance hall, hearing the strum of a six string, the bluesy whine of a pedal steel, the echoes of boots on a dirty, hardwood floor, and seeing the glow of a plethora of neon signs above their head.

Photo Credit

All photos were taken by Matthew Best

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Best, Matthew C., "Irene and the Buffalo Boys" (2025). B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498). 153.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art498/153