School Supplies: Timber Preservation Society + Miniview

-I first encountered Timber Preservation Society at our friend Heather's basics boutique Swell. I bought the "Old Man Maze" shirt (top right) and probably got more comments on it than any other t-shirt I have. A few months later I bought the "jugs" shirt (top left) and encountered the same interest from people I bumped into. As I began to accrue an interest in the brand, TIMBER! shirts became like Pokemon to me, I want to get them all. Graphic tees aren't something we feature often here, but the TIMBER! style just resonates with me for some reason, probably because my love for the Pacific Northwest lumber culture is something that influences my style heavily. I spoke briefly with TIMBER! artist/creator Chad Eaton about the roots of his lumberjack theme. Check out his answers and a few more of my favorite TIMBER! shirts after the jump. 






CA: What's the root of the timber/logging/lumberjack theme? Is it something that emerged early in yoru artistic career or a later development?

T: Forest related things have always interested me, so it made sense that the first shirt I ever designed for myself had a lumberjack on it. Really the whole concept just grew from there.

CA: How did you become involved with Element and other skate companies?

T: I started printing TIMBER! shirts first, while a friend of mine was interning at Element. Lucky for me, he wore a TIMBER! shirt to work, and before I knew it, I was submitting designs for them on a freelance basis. It has proven to be a great relationship so far, and I get to see my art made into things that I couldn't make myself.

CA: When did you decide to adapt your art to clothing? Did you always intend to make shirts or was it just a logical step for you?

T: I started out working as a screenprinter, so it was clothing first. Once I got serious about designing for clothing, I took my art a little more seriously too.

CA: Tell me a little bit about the Timber book you're working on. What else can we look forward to from Timber in the future?

T: The TIMBER! book has been coming together very slowly. I have always been a visual person, and created different aspects of the TIMBER! story visually, but I am excited about  articulating how my designs are related. Maybe it will be ready sometime in the next decade or so.

-Be sure to check out the TIMBER! site and their Etsy store for all the shirts and some other original TIMBER! pieces of art.