California-born artist, Hunter Blaze Pearson, recently created a few original designs for Ultimate Ears. His contemporary use of color, medium and subject matter evokes attitude, emotion, presence and makes each piece more visually stimulating than the next. Read on for a glimpse into Hunter’s inspirations and artistic springboard that brought him to where he is today.
Q: When did you start designing and what are your favorite types of design (graphic, prints, paint, pencil, etc)?
I’ve been doing art since I was about two years old and I started really getting into the design world about 5 years ago. It is hard to decide which form of art I enjoy the most, it really depends on the project. At the moment, I am working on a new series of paintings as well as just having finished these earbuds, so I am very into those two mediums right now.
Q: Who/what are your design inspirations? What would you say your design style is?
The majority of my inspirations are fine artists and musicians. I’ve always looked up to Gustav Klimt and Andy Warhol, as well as, M.C. Escher’s work, both fine and more graphic. As far as music goes, I am very inspired by artists and bands like Jack White, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and many more.
Music has always helped my creative process and I feel like they are two art forms that perfectly compliment each other. That’s one of the reasons I was so excited to take part in this collaboration and lend my visuals to the listening experience.
Q: You have designed some cool art on shoes, of all things. How did you start designing on shoes? Do you have a favorite pair? What materials do you use? Who do you design these for?
I actually began designing custom shoes because of my mom. I was a junior in high school and she told me that I either needed to get a job or find some way to make money off of my art. It just so happened that the year before I had designed a pair of custom vans for my school to enter in the Vans Custom Culture contest. I decided to post some pictures of them and offer to design custom shoes for anyone. Slowly I started getting clients and the more shoes I made, the more people started contacting me.
Since I started doing these shoes, I’ve designed shoes for Adam Levine, Behati Prinsloo, and many other private clients. I use a mix of different permanent markers, paint pens, and acrylic paints to customize the shoes. I think my favorite pair was Quentin Tarantino inspired set I made for a friend. I’m just a huge fan of Tarantino’s work, so it was a lot of fun to incorporate his characters into a design of my own.
Q: You designed your own pair of Ultimate Ears. Which pair do you have and what do you think about them?
I have the UE 11 CSX’s and they are easily the best earbuds I’ve ever owned. The sound quality and range on them is incredible and for such a small size they really pack a punch. Also, the custom fit really takes them to another level as far as comfort and noise cancellation. These will definitely be my go-to earbuds when I’m designing from now on.
