In celebration of LOST's final season and to bring finality to the LOST poster series,8 top designers and artists, who are also fans of the show, were commissioned to create artwork celebrating top moments from the 6th and final season. 4 artists you may recognize, and 4 new artists to the campaign, created labor intensive, hand-pulled screen prints, limited to an edition of just 550, with 500 available to the public through our website. Once this limited edition print has sold out, they will never be printed again. Celebrate finality with this unique, signed and numbered piece of history.
Our interview today is with Jeff Boyes. His piece is entitled "Desmond."
[caption id="attachment_132" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Jeff Boyes' "Desmond""]
[/caption]LOSTblog: How did you become a fan of LOST?
Jeff Boyes: A friend let me borrow season 1 on DVD around the time Season 2 was airing, so I had a little late of a start. It's funny, before I got into the show I thought the premise was just about some people stuck on a normal island. I remembering thinking, "well that's gotta be a boring show". Once I watched that first episode I was hooked. They do such an amazing job of keeping you hooked. Maybe it's all the questions each episode brings up. Personally, the characters are what kept me going. The good mix of personalities and interesting back stories kept my interest going until the craziness started. I think I watched the whole first season in a few days.
LOSTblog: Describe the details of how you were contacted to do the poster?
Jeff Boyes: I was contacted sometime in March. Jensen phoned me and asked me if I was a fan of Lost. When he asked me that, I knew there was something awesome goin' on. He asked if I had followed the first run of prints, and if I knew the general idea of the project. I had been following the project since Tim's Hurley print so I knew what I was getting myself into. We then talked about last weeks episode (it was a few days after "Ab Aeterno" so we were both really hyped about what had just happened) and he mentioned that he was going to use moments from Season 6 only. He had not picked the moments for each artist yet, so he said he'd phone me the next day to tell me my "moment".
LOSTblog.com: What instructions or parameters were you given for the post?
Jeff Boyes: Jensen said it would be rad if I could do a portrait. He then tried to explain the scene or moment he wanted me to do. The Desmond episode hadn't aired yet ( I believe it was still two weeks away) so he had to set the scene of what was happening over the phone. The sizing was supposed to be 18" by 24" but then we agreed it would be cool to do something different. I know 30" by 14" is not a generic poster size, but I think the stadium and penny running in the distance worked out better as a panoramic shot.
LOSTblog: What was your process for developing the poster?
Jeff Boyes: I wanted the scene to blur the lines between when Desmond met Jack and when he met Penny (in the sideways timeline). At first glance you might think it's the Desmond/Jack scene but with a closer look, you notice the differences. The first difference is in the look he was giving. I really wanted to give him a look of happiness, right at the point where he saw the woman he loved and he just knew it. For a reference photo I actually just took a photo of my T.V. Not the best source image to work from, but I was able to pick the exact look I wanted in his eyes and mouth, which was more important to me then a high quality image. The next difference, of course, was Penny running the stairs instead of Jack. I find it funny how many artists used blues and greens (including Tongs 3 set) considering I had no clue what each artist was doing and I'm sure it was the same throughout. I picked those colors, A. because they looked good and B. because it went with the colors of the island.
LOSTblog: How did this project compare to your other creations?
Jeff Boyes: In some ways it was easier because I had a scene to create and I had a basic layout already decided within the first two conversations. I was harder because I put a lot of pressure on myself (it's LOST!). Sometimes you gotta step back and consider whether or not your over thinking something. Also I only had a little over two weeks to complete it, so there was no time for second guessing.
LOSTblog: Besides your own, what is your favorite print from the series?
Jeff Boyes: Great question. I was really hyped to see what artists were gonna come out with this time around. I think Ken Taylor is amazing, so to see his art in this series (and the last) was awesome. Guy Burwell's print is pretty epic. I have no clue how he separated those colors and set up those half- tones. Impressive stuff. Also, Little Friends of Print Making made a really cool print. If I had to pick one? I'm going with Little Friends of Print Making.
LOSTblog: Who is your favorite LOST character and why?
Jeff Boyes: Desmond of course! That dude rules in so many ways. From the very beginning of Season two, to the end I really enjoyed all of his storylines and transformations. How can you not like a guy with the tagline "See ya in another life brotha"
LOSTblog: Kate or Juliet?
Jeff Boyes: Kate or Juliet? Neither, I'm going with Eloise.
LOSTblog: How did you like "The End"?
Jeff Boyes: It was good! I can't imagine how hard it must have been to try and write an ending to that show, and I think they did a great job. Like most of Lost, it left a lot of stuff open for discussion and that's what's awesome about Lost!
