By Bernie Petit
Public Relations & Marketing Director

Charlotte artist John Burgin focuses on making art that is whimsical, brightly colored and fun.

“I like to take people away from the day-to-day,” he said.

His vibrant, approachable aesthetic made Burgin’s artwork perfect for the Craft + Creatives design challenge, an initiative by ASC and Birdsong Brewing Co. to raise awareness of and support for local creative individuals.

Nearly 40 Charlotte-Mecklenburg artists applied to the design challenge to have their artwork featured on limited-edition cans of Birdsong’s Paradise City IPA. Cans with Burgin’s winning artwork are on sale now for $25, with $15 of each four-pack sold supporting ASC’s investments in individual creatives. Cans will be available at the Craft + Creatives Beer Pickup event Oct. 21 at Birdsong.

Burgin, a Charlotte native who graduated from West Mecklenburg High School and UNC Charlotte, made sure his hometown is represented in his Birdsong can artwork.

“I didn’t originally think I would put the skyline in there but that was just a good space for it,” he said. “With the trees, I was kind of thinking old-school Marshall Park.

“The main thing was I wanted to have (Birdsong’s) Paradise City can making a waterfall.”

Burgin began frequenting Birdsong several years back, often posting up in the far left-hand corner of the brewery’s bar to sketch out ideas for his indie comic “Frogboy.”

He said that though his familiarity with the brewery did not consciously factor into the artwork he created, he knows Birdsong prioritizes people connecting and building community through beer.

“When it’s time to have a beer, when it’s time to break away – whether it’s a weekend or 5 o’clock – it’s time to just put all kinds of anxiety and stress aside and just go enjoy a beautiful day,” Burgin said. “That’s where I was coming from – just a beautiful day in the city with something cool and refreshing.”

GET YOUR LIMITED EDITION CANS OF PARADISE CITY IPA FEATURING JOHN BURGIN’S ART AND SUPPORT LOCAL CREATIVES

Order your four-pack of limited-edition cans of Birdsong Brewing Co.’s Paradise City IPA featuring artwork by Charlotte artist John Burgin today for $25 each (plus tax and fees) to support local creatives through Craft + Creatives, a new partnership between ASC and Birdsong Brewing Co. to raise awareness of and support for local creative individuals.

$15 of each purchase is tax-deductible and will support ASC’s grant investments in local creatives.

Cans will be available for pickup at a special Craft + Creatives event from 5-7 p.m. October 21 at Birdsong Brewing Co. (1016 N. Davidson St., Charlotte).