Dan Lish

'THE DIABOLICAL' BIZ MARKIE STROLLS THROUGH A WONDROUS WORLD IN ORIGINAL ARTWORK

Combining his passion for Hip Hop, love for its creators, and his own artistic mastery, Dan Lish executes intricately beautiful and often dream-like drawings that celebrate legendary figures in the industry. His work has been supported by numerous artists and notable figures such as DJ Prince Paul, Biz Markie, De La Soul, Raekwon, J. Period, Pos, Rakim, Large Professor, RZA, Diamond D, Cypress Hill, Goldie, J-Dilla Foundation, Lee Scratch Perry, Dave Chapelle, and Pharoahe Monarch with J. Live writing the forward for his first book, Egostrip Book 1.

In his own words, Lish describes the inspiration behind the current lot, Biz Markie, featuring the late "Clown Prince of Hip Hop," the joyous and stylish Biz Markie:

"How could I encapsulate 'The Diabolical' in one illustration? I could include aspects of his rap and T.V. career in a Little Nemo-esque setting. I was amused by the stories of Biz's collection of oddball material things, so in my mind, he could be walking past a gaggle of giggling Barbie dolls, blissfully unaware of where and what he was walking too.

I didn't want to include all of the Juice Crew, just the players I recall affecting me from their direct involvement with Biz on wax. So I featured Roxanne Shante, Masta Ace and Big Daddy Kane from their classic 'Just Rhymin' With Biz'. There's no reason why the giant toy robot is reaching out to the foreground. Maybe it's to give a sense of subtle tension? Similarly, with Biz about to step into the joyful fire hydrant's gush, it's a continuation of a new narrative." (Dan Lish) 

The digitally colored version of this work appears on page 69 of Egostrip Book 1.

Dan Lish has been a lead concept artist for the video game industry for over 20 years and has worked across a broad spectrum of other entertainment mediums, including comic and book illustrations, album cover art, and toy design. Born in the English town of Bury St. Edmunds Suffolk, Dan fell in love with Hip Hop in the early 1980s as a b-boy, graffiti writer, and later a D.J. for pirate radio stations and night clubs in and around the south coast of England. Having dual nationality, Lish re-located to New York City in the late 1990s, where he deepened his love for Hip Hop culture. 

He most recently completed a crowdfunded campaign that successfully launched his first artbook, Egostrip Book 1, a compendium of Hip Hop illustrations in chronological order, and is currently working on Book Two. 

The Egostrip Project was born out of Dan's black book drawings of his favorite Hip Hop musicians that he would create while commuting on the busy London tube. Putting pen to paper, Dan's elbow rocked back and forth in tandem with his fellow travelers, creating a unique, organized chaos that came to life in each drawing. Back in his studio, Dan would scan each drawing and color them digitally to add texture, tone and details. This stage brought the original pen drawings to life, adding a depth and richness to each work. Dan describes the project as "a passion and a meditative therapy for years of working the other end of a busy train ride, which now feels a world away." 

Provenance:

Courtesy of the artist

Condition Report:

To request a condition report for this lot, please contact pop@sothebys.com