With our special-release El Brujo live and decked out in commemorative artwork, we recently sat down with one of the artists involved in the project, illustrator Jourdon Gullett, and talked about his process:
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Humbly Gullett described himself and his El Brujo work, on Instagram, as “a dude and his drawing.” It’s evident to us though that his El Brujo illustration is more than just a drawing. The artwork’s style makes it undeniably a full expression from an immensely talented artist.
With Jourdon back at Metric West Fulton roasting works, we discussed his artwork and style more in-depth. Quickly the conversation digressed (from his approximate 6-years as a professional artist) to a slew of topics varying in seeming relevance. Our conversation was a perfect analog to how he described his process. It was free-flowing; it was a stream-of-conscience. From the exterior, it may have felt incidental, but from within it, everything was perfectly in-line.
Jourdon, wearing Uprise skate merch, referenced his youth on a skateboard. He mentioned his younger self’s mantra of “skate fast” and how it influences his work. On a board, there’s little room to think. If you do too much, you wipe out (something I have personal expertise in from visits to the skatepark). This concept of just doing the work, operating instinctively, lives in Gullett’s El Brujo project. Gullet found balance under an active pen layering smoke and abstract shapes to anchor negative space and image, in-process.
As he sipped his go-to coffee drink (a mug of coffee with a pinch of cream and sugar), we continued our conversation. Jourdon’s calm energy alluded that there’s “so much going all the time” that he finds refuge in the simpler things these days. Whether it’s camping with the family, skating casually, or working on his “damn van,” he finds joy in the moments away from the everyday chaos. Perhaps intentional or not, this sentiment is in his El Brujo work. Amongst the seeming maximalism, there is a specific logic, a simple stream-of-conscience of a talented dude, finding balance.