About Dave Murray's Shop
Charlottesville, VA
About seibei
Hi! My name is Dave Murray, and from 2005 - 2021 I worked under the pseudonym Seibei. I made a lot of t-shirts and other fun things during that time, often with pretty small print runs. In an effort to archive my work from this period, I've dug up a lot of my old artwork, and started this Threadless store, so reproductions of my most (and least) loved designs can be available for anyone who wants them.
A portion of profits from this archive will be sent to a different charity every month or so. I figure it will be nice to switch it up every so often, since there are plenty of worthy causes out there. For August 2021, we are donating to Trans Lifeline.
I'll also add "new" designs to the archive as I find old files and get them ready for print. If you know of any old SEIBEI designs that you'd like to see here, let me know. Some designs will not be added here, such as guest artist tees, as I do not own the rights to that work. Also, certain kinds of prints don't work with Threadless' print on demand, such as oversized prints off the bottom edge of the tee, so a few designs won't make it back, for now.
So, what happened to Seibei?
I originally picked this pseudonym back in 2005 or so. I have a degree in East Asian Languages and Literatures, and Shiga Naoya's short story "Seibei and His Gourds" (available in the collection The Paper Door) made a big impression on me. It's about a young boy named Seibei who's kind of a weirdo, very devoted to his craft (polishing decorative gourds), and that just really struck a chord with me. I kept the name because that's what people knew me as, but lately it just didn't seem as good of a fit. Also, although I was very upfront about just being a white guy, it felt increasingly dubious to be using a Japanese pseudonym and potentially taking up space not meant for me.
My years as Seibei were incredibly formative, and I've met some of my best friends from my years on the road, and they will always be a part of me - but just Dave is fine, now.
So, what do you do now?
My wife Kate and I run Telegraph Art & Comics, a comic shop with two locations in Charlottesville, VA. I'm a dad. I'm a freelance manga editor, and have translated a couple of books, as well. Also, I'm going to start releasing new things over on Things By Dave. I tried to think of a new pseudonym, but nothing really fit.
