We first met Dylan Martorell in 2001, and even then his work was strange and magical, and has gotten more so in the years since then. Funnily enough Dylan is possibly better known for his musical explorations than his artistic experiments. Hearing his bands Hi God People or Snawklor you start to get a feel for his shamanistic methodology for image/sound making. Focusing on his visual work you see the strange worlds his minds inhabit, full of weird and wild creatures, sort-of-familiar landscapes, and patterned noise. See Dylan’s blog/folio here.

The work of John Copeland (b. 1935) is probably familiar to many without necessarily being able to identify the designer who created it. John’s formative design years were spent in the studios of Cox Kay Printers (Hobart) and Lyons Ice Cream (London). His covers for Melbourne’s popular ‘light classic’ World Record Club label of the 1960s are instantly recognizable for their graphic power and skill, and for the charm and quality of his illustrations. His work from this period (and those of his distinguished WRC alumni) continues to inspire designers around the world. In 1963 John began lecturing at the South Australian School of Art, continuing there until his retirement in 1993. We are proud to have John Copeland involved with Wilkintie – a designer of such a long-standing commitment to excellent design, and speaking from personal experience, a man of charm and charisma.

Jacqueline is an illustrator who strives to represent the misunderstood inhabitants of the everyday. Like most who deal with poisonous creatures, she handles them delicately, coiling them up on her pencil and laying them out in a livelier fashion. Jacqueline’s illustrations have appeared in various magazines, blogs, e-publications and art galleries. Her designs are also featured upon urban apparel, as well as, prints. These days, Jacqueline resides in Canada, tending to her young career, producing images that, she hopes, will instill wonder and remedy cosmic angst. Visit Jacqueline’s website here.

Aaron Piland and Ayumi Kajikawa Piland are the fantastical magical duo known as APAK. They are a childlike husband and wife collaborative art group who live among the fury conifer giants in a little cottage on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. They create artwork together as a way exploring the beauty, mystery, and magic of life as well as expressing their love for life and each other. They are known in particular for creating rich and colorful gouache/acrylic paintings on wood featuring the utopian lives and adventures of curious little beings living in lush fantastic environments surrounded by friendly little animals, the landscapes are familiar yet surreal, hinting at a fantastic narrative while suggesting truths about the real world at the same time. Visit the Apak website here.

Southern Californian artist Tim Biskup’s work has been shown worldwide, including galleries and museums in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, Kyoto, Barcelona, Berlin, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and Melbourne. His spirited and joyful populist aesthetic has amassed him a cadre of loyal fans and collectors. In recent years he has developed complex, personal and conceptual work while maintaining a commitment to the visual experimentation he is known for. With a consistent output of original artwork, prints, sculptures, books and other editions Tim has produced a body of work that extends into the far reaches of the art and design worlds. In 2004 he opened Bispop Gallery, a small retail shop and exhibition space located in the Old Town section of Pasadena, California. Visit Tim’s website here.

Niels says: Chicago-based artist Cody Hudson’s work spans many disciplines – painting, installation, design, illustration, and publishing. He has exhibited all over the world and has created designs for some of the best independent companies. His work is sometimes playful & humorous, sometimes cynical & satirical, but always honest. I once jokingly described it as ‘California Dreaming’. See Cody’s work here, and his blog here.

Klaus Haapaniemi is a Finnish artist and designer living in London. He has created garment prints for Diesel, Levis, Marimekko, Dolce & Gabbana and Cacharel. Klaus also worked as Creative Director of Italian fashion house Bantam, published a book ‘Giants’ with Finnish author Rosa Liksom, and created his series Taika for Iittala. Visit Klaus’s website here.

Gwénola Carrère was born in Geneva and grew up in Vienna and Brussels (where she studied Illustration and silkscreen printing and still lives). She works as a teacher in an art school, as a designer for a toy company, and as an Illustrator for children and for adults. She has published two books for children, one self-published and one with the Italian publisher Topipittori (Milan). Her third book was released in October in Italy with Topipittori and in February 2009 in France with publisher Thierry Magnier. Visit Gwénola’s website here.

Merijn Hos (1978, Enschede, NL), also known under his alias Bfree, is an Artist and Illustrator from Utrecht (Netherlands). He graduated from the Utrecht School of Visual Arts in 2004 with a B.F.A in Illustration. He divides his time between working as an Illustrator and on his own projects including exhibitions and independent publishing. The main characteristics in his work are long-legged characters with high-heel shoes and big hairdo and freckles, a lot of colours and abstract psychedelic landscapes. But when it comes to content, you will find a lot of elements such as ghosts, life and death, friendly and cute expressions, hidden messages. A lot of the work reflects on issues in today’s society and everyday interaction between people in terms of escapism, organised confusion and friendship and loyalty. Visit Merijn’s website here.