As part of (what we hope) will become an ongoing series of interviews with local designers and artists we sat down with our buddies at Statriot, Niki, Scott, and Josh, to ask 'em a few Qs about why/where/how/why.
Who do you design for?
Statriot Designs, the Monfuckintana people.
Are you guys local (are you from Montana)?
We guys (there are three of us that do Statriot) have lived in the Treasure State for a combined errr... 60+ years or so, but by the letter of the law, two of us were born in Washington state, and one (mumbled voice) back east. We consider this place home, vote in school board elections and for mill levies, and have started pronouncing Anaconda as "Andaconda" and viewing Niki's the most Motnanan of us because she went to High School (and some grade school) in Miles City. She grew up thinking a salad was something made from Jello and mayonnaise, and pouring ranch over damn near everything.
Why did you start Statriot?
Well, that's a good question. The word "statriot" is a made up thing that's a hybrid of the words "state" and "patriot," and that was kind of the idea from the get-go. State pride on maximum overdrive or better yet, State patriotism. At the time we started first messing around with Montana outlines, there honestly weren't a lot of things out there, other than the Chinese stuff at 10,000 Silver Dollars and soforth. Since then, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an outline of Montana screen-printed on something by folks in Montana, and that's nice. It's good to take pride in your state and where you live, and we most certainly do. We love our wildernesses (especially the Rattlesnake and Selway-Bitterroot), lakes, rivers, mountains, cities, towns, ghost towns and empty places. Moreover we love the people and cultures that make up the West. Here in Montana you've got within about 250 miles of each other two completely different world class events in the Crow Fair on the Crow Reservation and the Bucking Horse Sale in Miles City. That blows our minds and gets us stoked. That and we like strong, bold designs and figured there's be a place for them in the world if we started doing that.
What was the first T you made?
The first Statriot T was the original Monfuckintana Osprey design. Sold 'em printed on recycled shirts at the (pre-Made Fair) DIY Bazaars that Niki organized before we got ourselves organized officially.
You guys use a lot of animals in your prints, if you had to choose a spirit animal what would it be?
Scott claims bald eagle, of course. I lean toward the turkey. Niki likes owls.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A two month backpack trip in south Anatolia, staying in weird places, eating feta cheese and tomatoes, and crawling around like Indiana Jones on ruins of the Lycian civilization. Got to wait til Adam can walk though.
Thanks guys!
No, thank you, Betty.
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