(Pic #1) Divine delivery: Today’s lit loot from Drip Machine
Art Supplies: Manna From Heaven
A Boy Who Channels A Master — from the 50s
(Pic #1) Laser-focused artist “Jaylen” splatters his way to a perfect abstraction. Hope’s Nest Halloween Workshop, Van Ness Recreation Center, South Los Angeles.
He just started splashing paint around…
It caught my attention — especially since most kids are compelled to “stay within the lines” and to make art that “looks like something.” It’s just how most teachers steer them. They are often taught to copy — to draw with precision — the object in front of them.
Then there’s Jaylen. A young man who stopped by our Halloween Art Workshop in South L.A. and spun my head around. I asked if he knew about abstract expressionism and had he heard of Jackson Pollock. He said, “This IS Jackson Pollock.” I quickly shut my mouth, and silently thanked the teacher who took the time to introduce him to one of my fine art heroes.
Not only did he know one of the greatest painters in modern art, he knew at that moment, to be true to Pollock’s explosive style, he had way more splattering to do. He wasn’t finished. He had at least “one more coat” of black to apply before he could dry his thickening masterpiece in the sun.
His work would take longer to dry than any other child’s at his table, but he probably knew that Pollock would often have to wait a month for his paintings to cure.
Why Urban Decay Is My Jam
Confession: I slam on the brakes and jump out of the car to capture the detritus of life.
It’s the dirty, weather-beaten, peeling surfaces of walls and structures in any large city. You typically won’t find these textures in the fancy parts of town, so that’s why I like to take detours and longer ways home. Some of these moments end up on canvas, some find their way onto the hand-painted jackets in our new “Urban Artwear” collection.
It might just be a simple combination of colors…sometimes it’s just erosion, but most of the time it inspires an idea — or series of ideas — for some funk-ass abstract art.
(Pic #2) Ventura, Cal.
(Pic #3) San Pedro, Cal.
(Pic #4) Los Angeles, Cal.
(Pic #5) Oxnard, Cal.
