Uncle Charlie (Charlie Hardwick) is a Houston based poster artist who has been making rock posters for over twenty years now. His clients have included bands such as Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the Beastie Boys. I first learned about Uncle Charlie when I was teaching myself how to silkscreen in high school. I was making fliers for my own band at the time, and after handing one to a teacher of mine, she informed me that she was married to one of the premier local poster artists. Naturally I became quite familiar with his work and even got the chance to interview him briefly. Anyway I figured he would be good to share with you all since he is a good example of a working artist from my area of the country that you all may not have come across otherwise.
While these are examples of his most recent work, all done in giclee, some of his older silkscreened posters can be seen in a very thick book entitled The Art of Modern Rock. What I like about his posters is the use of color, as well as the overall sense of completeness he gets through composition. There are many subtle touches, both in terms of design/decoration and in terms of imagery. You really want to look at these posters and explore them. I find that there is usually something a little bit disturbing or grotesque in each of his posters, which is interesting when paired with the bright attractive colors.
While I find his newer work to be more refined and perhaps more mainstream, his older work had a particular quality to it that I believe embodied the character of his signing name, Uncle Charlie. Cartoony and grotesque figures dominate his posters from the mid-90s, and each seems to tell a short but usually horrific story.
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