- Scrump Schkin
- Scrump Schkin's latest piece, "The 12th Batman"
I know Iām not the only one who has marveled at the degree to which Seattle's arts community has embraced the Seahawks' rise to NFL dominance. Several people from the local music world address their perhaps unlikely love of the team in this weekās issue, and next week sees the opening of Stranger Genius of art Rodrigo Valenzuelaās "Future Ruins," a show that deals explicitly with the socioeconomic reality of the workers who clean up after public football celebrations (Valenzuela calls them āthe 13th manā), at the Frye. But flying below the rarefied radar of these more established forms, primarily on social media, is fan art. The most striking collection of Seahawks-related fan art Iāve seen is created by a local artist who goes by the name Scrump Schkin, which also happens to be the name of the artistās pet rabbit, who can occasionally be seen doing card tricks (see video below) at Pike Place Market next to a sign that reads ā12th Bunny Rabbit.ā As revealed in the large gallery of images below, Scrump Schkinās work operates on a lot of levels. In fairness, not everyone sees these levels. I do, however, so I wrote and asked her to meet me at a coffee shop in the shadow of CenturyLink Field last week to discuss her work. She brought the rabbit with her.
- Sean Nelson
- Scrump Schkin (leporine version) was scrumping around in this bag while Scrump Schkin (human version) answered the questions.
If you havenāt seen Scrump Schkin on Facebook lately, it might be because, like many artists and performers, she got flagged for using a pseudonym. So she changed the page name to "LaScrump Schkin". She told me she'd prefer not to reveal her real name for publication. āIāve had a lot of artist friends,ā she told me, ābut Iāve never called myself an artist. Most artists I know that are really talentedāand Iām not saying I amābut most of the ones I really admire are super private. Itās no other reason than that. Itās not like Iām an escapee from Alcatraz.ā She moved to Seattle four years ago from Detroit, which she called āa gigantic ghetto, very dangerous. āLike a war zoneā is the best way I can describe it. I actually risked my life every time I did everything in Detroit.ā She says her Seahawks art projectāwhich consists largely out of digitally superimposing a number 12 on a series of increasingly unlikely creaturesāgrew out of her adopted cityās infectious enthusiasm for a team and a game that, until recently, hardly anyone in the local arts world seemed to care about at all.
- Scrump Schkin
- "The 12th Dinosaur"
- Scrump Schkin
- "The 12th Fish"
Are you a football fan? Are you making fun of football fans?
I definitely am not making fun of football fans, although I think I could easily get a lot of fans who are making fun of football fans. Thereās extremes in so many things out there. Iāve been an artist all my life. Iāve done graphic computer art for Chrysler and Norwegian Cruise Lines. Iāve been a manager for a graphic art company and what not, went to school for it, won contests, and this and that. The software I use is so complicated that itās a little overwhelming, so Iāve chosen to use software thatās not as complicated and make things that are more simple and humorous to catch peopleās eye and make them look at things from a different angle. Iām from Detroit, MI, and I did Detroit Tigers posters when they were in the playoffs. But with all the hype in this area, the fans are just so much more united that I thought it was a great opportunity to throw what I have out there. I had so many ideas floating around in my head with this 12th Man concept, but I just ran out of time. So, Iām not making fun of them, but people tend to get so into certain thingsā¦ Iām trying to point that out in my art.
- Scrump Schkin
- "The 12th Sea Monster"
- Scrump Schkin
- "The 12th Bedbug"
A lot of people Iāve shown your stuff to comment on its primitive aesthetic, with the low-resolution scans and sort of crude collage style. Is that an intentional part of the humor?
Exactly. Thatās exactly right. I spent so much time working as a manager for a graphic art company and going to school at the same time and trying to win competitions where I had to have the right font. I was like the font queen, you know? And I just stopped. I stopped art altogether, and when I started back again I started doing things more simply so I could get my ideas out there. [Later, in an e-mail, she elaborated on this answer: āi purposely limit myself with not huge amounts of choices for font & other things with software, etc. in order to focus on trying to create something simple, that people are expecting to see & look at BUT then surprise them with something new, unique. Even though I won 1st place in contests among college students, the professor's advice was to leave more empty space & not so crowded. So, that & other various reasons caused me to stop & approach producing from a different perspective.ā]
- Scrump Schkin
- "The 12th Giant Sea Turtle"
- Scrump Schkin
- "The 12th Bunny Rabbit"
Tell me about your rabbit.
Iāve had this 12th Bunny Rabbit for three years. I have a permit at Pike Place Market. He does card tricks. You can find him on the internet. Last year he actually predicted the Super Bowl with his card tricks. This rabbit was given to me when I was going through a life crisis trial, so I had no choice but to bond with it, and I bonded with it so well I taught it card tricks. Itās been really entertaining to entertain other people.
How do you teach a rabbit to do close-up magic?
Thereās a secret I definitely have given out to different people at different times. Iām not sure I should give it out at this point in time. Iāll be glad to, maybe at a later time.
Fair enough.
Thereās so many people who are so hyper and crazed about their 12th Pets. I started a Facebook page called the 12th Pet Pep Rally and I got 100-plus members in less than 12 hours. People are just crazy about their pets. One guy has trained his puppy to poop on a San Francisco logo. It just goes on and on, just really funny things. I just have all these ideas that I need to get out there as an artist. Iāve had some really funny reactions. When the cheeseheads were coming to town, somebody put a cheesehead on Jesus Christ, right? I thought āoh, thatās interesting, maybe Iāll put a 12 on Jesus,ā right? So I put a 12 on Jesus, and this one lady sends me a message back that says, āThatās blasphemy! Youāve just jinxed our team.ā She was really really really really angry. I just ignored it. I mean, I couldāve said 100,000 things, and now I kind of want to respond to her, but likeā¦ they had a cheesehead on Jesus, maybe they were jinxed, too.
- Scrump Schkin
- "The 12th Jesus Christ"
- Scrump Schkin
- "The 12th Bowl of Cheese Soup"
Maybe they were. Have you heard other objections from sports fans?
Iām a sports person. Iāve been in gymnastics. I was a gymnastics coach, even a judge for a national competition and what not, so I know people might say [my art] is not good sportsmanship, but I look at what else is out there. And I mean, weāre talking about Oscar from Sesame Streetāhow can he do any wrong? And Godzilla. I didnāt put that out till a certain time. Certain things Iām really careful about when I put it out there. Everyone loved the Godzilla after they won.
- Scrump Schkin
- "The 12th Oscar"
- Scrump Schkin
- "The 12th Godzilla"
Where does the name Scrump Schkin come from?
It comes from bunny boy. He was given to me and his name was, like, Captain Buckmeister and he was only a year old. Iām actually his third parent, so I felt bad. I mean, heās a purebred champion show rabbit. He has a little tattoo in his ear to prove it and what not. He was sold at nine months old, but he was a champion show rabbit before that. And he has a kind of heavy behind, so he was just kind of scrumping around, you know? I was watching him, observing him, and I just decided to name him after his personality. And Iāve come up with all sorts of clever things like, if he doesnāt do the card trickāwhich is super rareāIāll be like āoh, heās got a scrumpitude.ā Heās got lots of nicknames.
It seems like a rabbit doing a card trick that predicts the Super Bowl winner is the whole reason YouTube was invented.
People have been telling me for two years, āyouāve gotta get that on videoā because itās so mesmerizing. People think that the rabbitās reading their mind, I do the trick so good, or he does.
Have people been responding to the video?
I have about a thousand hits, but I havenāt done a lot of promoting. I mean, Iāve only done the artwork in between being super busy. I mean really busy. But I had to get the ideas out of my head. Iām still in that condition but not as bad cause Iāve put so much stuff out there.
Is he going to make a prediction for this yearās game?
I definitely want to do it, and Iām willing to do it, which is really, like, putting my reputation on the line, obviously, butā¦ weāre willing to do it. Personally I think the Patriots should forfeit the game. Iām really paying close attention to the deflating issue. I donāt know a lot about it, but Iām trying to keep updated because we could just win, you know? And I think that would be neat, but I just donāt know enough about the subject.
- Scrump Schkin
- "The 12th Hawkzilla"
- Scrump Schkin
- "The 12th Rat Gets Away"
Whatās your ambition for your art, career-wise?
To reach youth. Itās so sad, all the youth out there on the streets and stuff. Iām a youth magnet. I have a real heart to reach youth. I really love helping people.
- Scrump Schkin
- "The 12th Cookie Monster"
Go Hawks!