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Stephan McBroome Archives 15 Years of Illustration Check out our collection of small drawings and textual works from the Stephan McBroome Archive.

"Stephan McBroome Presents the Future" By Seth High for Sweet Dreams Press

Growing up in Manchester, Stephan McBroome had a succession of primary school teachers who were always glad to remind him that he couldn't draw."That doesn't look like an apple, Stephan." "Real artists use shading and perspective." "Stick figures are not art." "It's right in front of you - why can't you draw it?" Ms. Navali was perhaps the most brutal, "Stop trying. You don't have an ounce of creativity in your body."

Despite all the discouragement, Stephan didn't quit drawing. In fact, he became even more determined to prove that he had an artistic sensibility. At age 14, it was during his last lesson with Ms. Navali when Stephan drew and presented his first self-proclaimed 'masterpiece'. One at a time, students showed their work to class - all based on the theme of 'motion studies'. Megan drew a black horse running on a white beach. Nigel received the teacher's praise with his accurate depiction a cricket player mid-swing. When Stephan held up his drawing, several pupils giggled in mockery but most merely squinted at the overlapping red and brown shapes. Nobody had any idea what the squiggles represented.

"Stephan, what is that mess?" asked Ms. Navali sternly. Without hesitation, he replied, "It's my motion study." Emphasizing the adjective, the teacher went on the attack, "It's supposed to be realistic, Stephan. Nothing in the world looks anything like that." Stephan's voice became stronger, "It is 100% realistic... my picture is of the future. This is exactly how the future will look." Turning from the teacher to the rest of the class, "My picture is a motion study of Ms. Navali shagging a gorilla... in Spain."

Now 41 and London-based, McBroome has spent the past 26 years drawing only 'future pictures.' Gradually, after exhibiting on both sides of the Atlantic and representing and the Sebald-Bjornstad Gallery at Art Miami, the public perception of him has shifted from that of 'troublemaker' to that of serious contemporary artist. Nevertheless, both his rudimentary style and the concepts behind his works have changed very little since he was a teenager.

"Even when I was young, I was skeptical of the realist tendencies in art and art education. And not just in art - I could never do anything the same way as my classmates - the way things were supposed to be done. Teachers called me 'slow' and 'stupid', but my parents were always praising how unique and creative I was. Naturally, it felt better to believe them. And if my parents were right, my teachers and classmates had to be wrong."

Though the purpose of McBroome's first 'future picture' was primarily to insult his teacher, the argument he presented in class remains valid. If one is drawing something that is theoretical, there is no way it can be held up to a representational ideal. In the introduction to the exhibition catalog for his recent 'Future Popcorn' show at Newcastle Art Center, the artist takes this idea even further. "Future pictures are 100% accurate. There is no way to deny this. Viewers look at the drawings and see the future. Will the future happen in the same way I depicted it? It already has."

Future Cars by Stephan McBroome (2002) In this handmade exhibition catalogue, McBroome explores the nifty automobiles of the future. Despite the gasoline crunch, the artist indicates that happy motoring is here to stay.

Considering himself a conceptual artist, McBroome loves to challenge perceptions about creativity and provoke people into thinking more deeply about why they enjoy viewing images. "If I tell people I'm drawing the future, they try to see it as the future. They give me the benefit of the doubt, even if the picture is quite dumb - and dumb is good because it includes everyone."

"People often say, 'You are just making excuses. Your style is a gimmick. If you actually had the ability to draw well, you would use it.' If if this were true, what good would it do to admit it? It would only reinforce the idea that the goal of all art is the same. If I enjoy drawing a picture, it is valid as art. If others enjoy it too, it is even more valid. Even if someone is offended by a picture, well, at least I made them look."

McBroome is often compared to the celebrated artist David Shrigley. In addition to having been born within a year of each other, they are both British men. Moreover, they share a similar crude style that relies heavily on humour and irony. However, the similarities end there. Shrigley branches off into various media, taking photographs, producing music videos, creating sculptures and special edition books. He even has his own interactive website. Shrigley also collaborates with musicians, writers and other artists. In contrast to this, Stephan McBroome is comfortable with monotony. Day after day, he sits at the same desk and sketches the future using the same brand of paper and pencils. "I found what I like to do so I continue to do it."

Though the artist considers himself resistant to change, Critic Ira Feldman sees something fresh in McBroome's recent work. "The newer portfolios, particularly 'Future Uses of Bacon', 'Future Decisions' and 'Matching Future Hats' are generously interactive - they invite the viewers to participate and in a way complete the works." 'Which is Bacon?' features a dozen or so images - slabs, slices and greasy streaks. The viewer is prompted by the work's title to consider their idealized image of bacon and then match it with McBroome's portfolio of bacon possibilities (or perhaps everything really can be bacon in the future). The minimal drawing of a swirl, titled 'Future Decisions: Whirlpool or Cinnamon Roll' forces the viewer to compare the violent churning of water and a sweet pastry - something I find strangely appealing.

Though he exhibits widely, McBroome has never left the U.K. He has never been involved in a collaborative project. He has no website. Yet, he is by no means a hermit. Frequenter of pubs and coffee shops, McBroome has no shortage of friends or visitors to his small studio. Curator Tim Laeku describes the artist as a 'young Santa Claus'. "He doesn't have the beard and belly, but he's always laughing. He's jolly. And now that of think of it, he always seems to be wearing red."

McBroome's Future Uses of Bacon will be on view in Kyoto, Japan (April @ Trancepop Gallery), Tokyo, Japan (May @ Gallery Septima) and Shanghai, China (July @ Potts Contemporary)