“My initial idea when it came to Evergreen Fantasies was to make a book which celebrated the work of a huge range of artists in a variety of different mediums, via the lens of The Simpsons,” says Ben Gore, who wrote, edited and designed the publication. “The aim was to just share the work of artists I like, at whatever stage of their artistic career they are at, and in any form their work took.”
Besides an introduction and basic artist information, the book is designed with minimal text, “so that all the artists in the book feel like they are on a level playing field,” Ben explains. In lieu of this extra detail, Evergreen Fantasies focuses on the work itself, while celebrating mediums which are often excluded from art and categorised as “craft”. Looking through the contributions, it’s hard to summarise the diversity present, but comics, 2D illustrations, and pixel art are all represented – there are even 3D architectural recreations of Flaming Moe’s and the First Church of Springfield by Jon Omar.
From outsider art, à la failed barbecue builds, to figurative passion projects (who can forget those Ringo Starr paintings?), The Simpsons has housed its fair share of art during its 30 years on air. In the process, it’s also inspired a considerable amount of unofficial art from creatives who grew up with the series. Evergreen Fantasies, a new book published by Blue Monday Press, proves how much artistic variety exists in this space. Featuring more than 40 artists and over 100 pages of creative work, Evergreen Fantasies highlights creators working in claymation, acrylic, needle felting, glass, mixed media, and tattooing – all of them inspired by one place: Springfield.