May 5th, 2012
8-12:30AM
$8 door
Show Runs: May 5th-26th

Featured Artist 1: Adrianne Walker
Featured Artist 2: Ellen Schinderman
Featured Artist 3: “Line Attack” A collection of professional doodle artists curated by Alex Chiu
Small Wall Artist: Peter Adamyan
Installation Artist: Sonik Mercury

Hive Drawing Artists: Katharine Sikorski / Virgina Giordano / FLAN / Farida Lam / Shannon O’Connor / Keith Wong / Erika Jane Malette / Alex Freeman / Erik Siador / Anne Walker / Ivan Godinez / Nosego / Sol Jeane / Yumiko Awae / Jamie Johnson / Saul Boxx Gonzalez / Sarah Lee / Matt Debbaudt / Maritza Torres / Marlon McWilliams / Daniella Batsheva / Mark Brunner / Christopher Chan / Megan Levens /
Dave Warshaw / Scott Aicher / Kitty Brown / Laura Cosner / Julie Bossinger /

Line Attack: A Doodle Art Show curated by Alex Chiu

Nathan Cartwright
Andy Ristaino
Michael Hsiung
Keenan Keller
Jose Angeles
Adam Roth
Daisuke Okamoto
Jeff Stratford
Alex Gardner
Champoy
Andrea Ueda
Jango Jim
A’misa Chiu
Mariya Suzuki
Lissete Aranda
Rusty Jordan
Andrew Smith
JT Steiny

Hive Group Show Artists: Henry Cram / Adam Rhodes / Sol Jeane / Marisa Silos / Gyorgi BP Szabo / Saul Boxx Gonzalez / Laura Cosner / Steven Lopez / Jenna Gibson / Nicolette Spear / Christopher Umana /
Marigrace Albelda / Wellington Rawls / Kevin Rizo / Joe Scarano / Dennis Pomales / Marlon McWilliams / Jon Measures /

Front Room Performances:

8:30 – 9:00pm    kristopher escajeda
9:30 – 10:00pm  hidden hippo
11:00 – 11:30pm  david shane smith
12:00 – 12:30am  etsuko

Back Room Performances:

8-9 Hella Kitty
9-10 Matt Treves
10-11 Trek Lewis
11-12:30 Sean Johnson

Resident Artists:

Sensei / Nathan Cartwright / Teod Tomlinson / Greg Gould / Walt Hall / Sarah Winkle / John Dang / Jinx / J.Salvador / Sphinx /
Shrine / Sonik  / Christian Hernandez / Stephan Canthal / Mike Street / JNGL / Dabbs Anderson / Jennifer Korsen /
/ The Little Red Writer / Randy Kono / Sara Hedstrom / Alex Schaefer /  Patrick Haemmerlein / Alan DeForest / Bethany Pratt /
/ Radhika Hersey / Romina Gonzales / Yuki Miyazaki / Ink Pen Mutations Press / Doug Meyer / Glenn Fox / Edward Frausto /
Edyth Gonzalez / Daisuke Okamoto  / David Reyes / HumanTreeRobot / Alina Mikos / Madliene Haim / Sarah Ockuly /
Audrey Roy / Marcel DeJure / Matt Debbaute / Graphation / JunkHauler / Justin ZZyzx / Daniella Batsheva / LiBrandi Jewelry

BODY PAINTING BY:
Ruben Gonzalez

BATHROOM INSTALLATIONS BY:
Alex Chiu http://alexdoodles.com
Daniella Batsheva http://daniellabatsheva.com
John Haley III

FABRIC ENVIRONMENTS/ INSTALLATION by: Sonik  http://www.transmorphic.net

HIVE TAROT DECK READING BY:
Seraphime Angelis
Medium, Astrologer, Card Reader, Poet
sidereally.occultated@gmail.com

http://sidereallyoccultated.blogspot.com/

SPONSORED BY:
www.fightingforfitness.org
www.buzzbeerwineshop.com

April 7th, 2012
8-12:30AM
$8 door
Show Runs: April 7th-28th

Featured Artist 1: Mimi Yoon
Featured Artist 2: Allison Torneros
Featured Artist 3: J.Salvador
Tall Wall: Stephen Chiodo
Small Artist: Sasaoka Hanae
Installation Artist: Clark Walter

Best of the Hive:

Erik Siador/ Erick Rodriguez / Jason Hadley / Chet Zar / Lizz Lopez / Delphia / McEvoy and Rodriguez / Marisa Silos / Jophen Stein / Roxy Morataya / Sylvia Lizarraga / Brian Kesinger / Yoko D’ Holbachie /
Pamela Mower-Connor / Brendan Sharkey / Jon Measures / Mikolaj Wyzynski / Nicole Bruckman / Craig Cartwright / Jon Measures / Brandon Sopinsky / Nate Seubert / George Peaslee / Doug Alvarez /
Lauren Gardiner / Sean Joyce / Cynthia Rogers / Meagan Boyd / Ryan Ebelt / Pukac / Jose Lopes / Preston Craig /

2012 Avatars in Hiveland:

Mimi Yoon / Nathan Cartwright  / Sze Jones / Ivan Vega / Ryan Campbell / Daniella Batsheva / Matthew Levin / Daniella Batsheva / Daisuke Okamoto / Adam Rhodes / Marlon McWilliams / Erin Asmussen / Tracy Tomko /
Kitty Brown / Paul Wilson / Lydia Burris / Cig Neutron / Billy Dyson / TV5D / George Peasley / Ben Rittenhouse / Marigrace Albeda / Nicolette Spear / Yuki Miyazaki / Matt Debbaudt / Alan Korcharian /
Jimmy Bell / Godfrey Mawema /

Front Room Performances:

8pm – 8:30     third half
9pm – 9:30     !aparato!
10pm – 10:30  cinema stereo
11pm – 11:30  tes elations
12am – 12:00  steve decay

Back Room Performances:

8-9:30 DJ Trek
9:30-10:30 DJ Mighty Might
10:30-11:30 Lo Fi Freq
11:30-12:30 Myles Matisse

Resident Artists:

Sensei / Nathan Cartwright / Teod Tomlinson / Greg Gould / Walt Hall / Sarah Winkle / John Dang / Jinx / J.Salvador / Sphinx /
Shrine / Sonik  / Christian Hernandez / Stephan Canthal / Mike Street / JNGL / Dabbs Anderson /
/ The Little Red Writer / Randy Kono / Sara Hedstrom / Alex Schaefer /  Patrick Haemmerlein / Alan DeForest / Bethany Pratt /
/ Radhika Hersey / Romina Gonzales / Yuki Miyazaki / Ink Pen Mutations Press / Doug Meyer / Glenn Fox / Edward Frausto /
Edyth Gonzalez / Daisuke Okamoto  / David Reyes / Dominique Lopez / HumanTreeRobot / Alina Mikos / Madliene Haim /
Audrey Roy / Marcel DeJure / Matt Debbaute / Graphation / JunkHauler / Justin ZZyzx / Daniella Batsheva / LiBrandi Jewelry

BODY PAINTING BY:
Lefty Joe Torres www.hawtay.blogspot.com
Ruben Gonzalez

BATHROOM INSTALLATIONS BY:
Alex Chiu http://alexdoodles.com
Daniella Batsheva http://daniellabatsheva.com
John Haley III

FABRIC ENVIRONMENTS/ INSTALLATION by: Sonik  http://www.transmorphic.net

HIVE TAROT DECK READING BY:
Seraphime Angelis
Medium, Astrologer, Card Reader, Poet
sidereally.occultated@gmail.com

http://sidereallyoccultated.blogspot.com/

SPONSORED BY:
www.fightingforfitness.org
www.buzzbeerwineshop.com

Mar. 3rd, 2012
8-12:30AM
$8 door
Show Runs: March 3rd- 31st

Featured Artist 1: Debbie Lee
Featured Artist 2: Dabbs Anderson
Featured Artist 3: “Harbinger” artwork inspired by Sara Wilson Etienne’s book
Tall Wall: Brandon Lukes
Small Artist: Bobby Rojas
Installation Artist: Adam Deal

March 2012 Artists:

Steven Lopez / Adam Rhodes / Erik Siador / Aglaia Mortcheva / Daisuke Okamoto / TV5D / Masha Vereshchenko / Matt Debbaudt / Suzy Engelman Block / Jennifer King / 3RDi / Ichae Ackso / Lefty Joe Torres / Peter Gullerud / Anthony Stewart / FLAN / Ivan Godinez / Paul Wilson / Mara Cole / Grant Fuhst / Mark Walker / Steven “Wireboss” Darden / Monica Martinez / Don Farrelly / Mark Walker / Larkin / Brian Robertson / Matt Debbaudt / Peter Adamyan / Loretta Gonzalez / Laura Cosner / Marlon McWilliams / Mer / Martiza Torres / Farida Lam / MARCO / Akihito / Emi Motokawa / Elena Velasquez / Naomi Nowak / Tanya Maiboroda / Orion Feeney / Svetlana Isaeva and  more!

“Harbinger” Sara Etienne Wilson’s curated show based off the book:

“In a time of oil shortages and rioting cities, sixteen-year-old Faye is sent away to the prison-like Holbrook Academy. There she descends into madness, overcome by watery visions and waking to find
bloody symbols drawn on her bedroom floor. Now Faye must uncover the secrets that brought her to Holbrook before they destroy her, her newfound friends, and the rest of the world.”

Jason Puliti / Joan Charles / Amy Kim Kibuishi / Andrew Mitchell / Marilyn Scott Waters / Aileen Holmes / Brian Ormiston / Ken Min / Katie McDee / Drew Etienne / Wilson Swain / Jane Smith /
Dave Fass / Israel Sanchez / J.H. Everett / Karyn Raz / Mary Peterson / Patricia Cantor / Angela Matteson / Mary Etienne / Su Moon / Andrea Offermann / Tony Etienne / Ken Wong / Kelice Penney

Front Room Performances:

8:pm – 8:30    moonhead ……………………… http://www.youtube.com/user/moonheadmusic
9pm – 9:30     alejandro gonzalez gomez …………………. http://www.reverbnation.com/alejandrogonzalezgomez
10pm – 10:30  mumkai  ……………………………….. http://soundcloud.com/mumkai
11pm – 11:30  ralph torrefranca ………………… https://www.facebook.com/RalphTorrefrancaMusic
12am – 12:30  quangstuh  …………………………   http://soundcloud.com/quangstuh

Back Room Performances:

9-9:30 Etsuko……………………………………………soundcloud.com/bunnyetsuko
9:30- 10:30 Julia Henry……………………………….facebook.com/djmissjulia
10:30-11:30- O Riley Warren ………………………soundcloud.com/rileywarren
11:30-12:30 Fucsia…………………………………….soundcloud.com/princessfucsia

Resident Artists:

Sensei / Nathan Cartwright / Teod Tomlinson / Greg Gould / Walt Hall / Sarah Winkle / John Dang / Jinx / J.Salvador / Sphinx /
Shrine / Sonik  / Christian Hernandez / Stephan Canthal / Mike Street / JNGL / Chadwick Reinheardt / Dabbs Anderson /
/ The Little Red Writer / Randy Kono / Sara Hedstrom / Alex Schaefer /  Patrick Haemmerlein / Alan DeForest / Bethany Pratt /
/ Radhika Hersey / Romina Gonzales / Yuki Miyazaki / Ink Pen Mutations Press / Doug Meyer / Glenn Fox / Edward Frausto /
Edyth Gonzalez / Daisuke Okamoto  / David Reyes / Tom McDermott / Dominique Lopez / HumanTreeRobot /
Audrey Roy / Marcel DeJure / Ernie Steiner / Matt Debbaute / Graphation / JunkHauler / Justin ZZyzx / Daniella Batsheva

BATHROOM INSTALLATIONS BY:
Alex Chiu http://alexdoodles.com
Daniella Batsheva http://daniellabatsheva.com
John Haley III

NEON INSTALLATION: Teemster teeemster@gmail.com

FABRIC ENVIRONMENTS/ INSTALLATION by: Sonik  http://www.transmorphic.net

HIVE TAROT DECK READING BY:
Seraphime Angelis
Medium, Astrologer, Card Reader, Poet
sidereally.occultated@gmail.com

http://sidereallyoccultated.blogspot.com/

SPONSORED BY:
www.fightingforfitness.org
www.buzzbeerwineshop.com

Ohio native turned Los Angeles artist, curator and owner of the Hive Gallery, Nathan Cartwright is a man of many top hats. With parents encouraging a "let me be me" attitude. this monster-obsessed lad attended a liberal arts college and studied everything from per-veterinary science to art and graphic design, hoping to become an art therapist. Cartwright's Hive provides a workspace studio, performance/music outlet, and activities center to the many artists he houses, while his art delves into the hidden mental and artistic authenticity of humankind.
Michael C. Hsiung: Describe your works, themes and influences.
Nathan Cartwright: I created multidimensional and interactive paintings designed for all, using sculpture, lights, sounds, and paints. My visually applied melees consist of classic images, interactive-sculptural rooms, cartoony monsters, and epic battles. My unchecked palette and imagery allows viewers to let their guard down and approach from a place of innocence.
My work is a personal mythology about the importance of living an authentic life, keeping and open mind, and having fun as a creator. I have been incorporating "happy face" characters into my mythology. These characters known as "The Man", are symbolically mankind in a sleep state. Like an emoticon, they are devoid of core truth. They represent mankind existing in an unawakened, inauthentic state; and my works tell their stories and experiences- from being eaten by large deities, warring against beasts, to wreaking havoc upon the earth. Occasionally characters experience a "waking up" to their true selves: taking off their masks, or their pre-conceived and media-created ideas of themselves. To express the temporary state of all things, I depict eastern and western deities destroying "The Man" whose sole purpose is to gain money, power, and then die. Different levels of "The Man" are symbolized by different states of awareness: A happy face with business outfit equals sleep; farmer's outfit equals slowly waking up; cowboy equals waking up and becoming a hero; and a maskless character equals being awakened and engaged in the creative life.
MH: Art school, good or bad?
NC: I had a great teacher, Crossan Curry, at Miami University. I came in very tight and illustrative, but he encouraged me to get dirty with my mediums- chalk, charcoal, and gesso. my work got ugly and unformed - a great thing. I went through a de-programming at school. The doors opened and reforming my anatomical and illustrative style with a "sky's the limit" vantage point.
MH: Advice for aspiring artists?
NC: Stay open with their ideas of who they are and where they are going with their work. Many of the best pieces and ideas are born out of tragedy. A botched work could turn out to be a work of genius. As for the business side, I'm a realist. Work an easy and slightly creative job that doesn't drain your drive to come home and create. It will ground you and teach you valuable lessons.
MH: How did the Hive start?
NC: Bert Green, founder of the art walk told me of a space on Gallery Row. In early 2000, I had been curating large group shows and performances at Hangar 1018, and realized the potential for this opportunity. Many of the artists I exhibited with were "taking off" - Luke Chueh, Joe Ledbetter, and Nathan Spoor- so I wanted to continue curating shows, hence the gallery. However, it was too large for just shows. Because I was a studio artist at the Hangar in a similiar setting, I knew having studios was the way to go. The gallery was going to be active and exciting so I needed a name to mirror that: The Hive refelected the idea of having busy artists running around, making things, like lil' bees.
One of the first and longest standing galleries on the art walk, the Hive has two main spaces: the first being primarily a large exhibition space for featured artists, the second a performance/music room with a group exhibition space. As you move deeper into the Hive, you hit the real honey. Artist exhibition space and working studios comprise over half the gallery. Resident artists not only have 24/7 access, but can also participate in monthly Hive field trips and activities. For exhibition/resident artists i don't charge commissions on sold works as long as they are at shows.
Artists are encouraged to partake in Hive-centric activities and only have to donate if they participate. Some activities include: Tuesday figure drawing, Hive movie night, wine-tasting, Downtown Art Walk (free), public events, fashion shows, and more.
MH: Last show?
NC: We had a major line-up of sculptors, Stephen Chiodo ("Killer Clowns from Outer Space," "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure," and "Critters"); Heather Henson (Jim Henson's daughter); Chet Zar; Simon Lee; Sam Koji Hale ("Yamasong"); John Hadley lll; Jason Hadley; myself and more. The opening was unbelieveable- a huge turnout and a great buying crowd.
MH: Can artists submit works?
NC: Currently, I'm looking for artists who are making smaller, illustrative works. I'd like to see an artist put time into their trade, so if you can't draw the human figure or haven't developed a distinct style then i feel there are plenty of opportunities to show at other galleries. This seems harsh, but I am specific about what I'm showing and have learned tons about trying to run a business,l make sales, and harmonize what works best for my space. I'm open about talking about work and pointing artists in other directions, if their work doesn't fit.
MH: What's coming up?
NC: I'm pretty excited that we're opening three new studios in January 2012. A partner and I are putting more time into "Hive Live" in the coming year. We have been bringing artists and helping fund installations for large music events like "Epicenter" and "Rock on the Range". Finally, in late 2012, the Hive will be traveling around: I'm working with a curator to bring the Hive to Tokyo in 2012 and 2013.

Illustration by Joan Charles

During next months “Hard Love” show opening February 4th, Hive Gallery will be featuring “Lullabies and Nightmares”, a collection of pieces by children’s book illustrators curated by Miss Tanya Maiboroda.

Pr0mising to deliver sugar, spice and some things not so nice, 16 children’s illustrators expose the light and dark sides of childhood, evoking memory and imagination to explore the lullabies and nightmares that still reside within us all.

Join us in welcoming,

Robin Angelides
Anthea Brown
Barbara Browning
Diane Browning
Steven Corvelo
Lisa Deutsch
Terry Diefenbach
Suzy Block Engleman
Marci Hersel
Tanya Maiboroda
Kat McDonough
Irina Mirskaya
Mary Peterson
Karyn Raz
Jane Smith

Accompanying “Lullabies and Nightmares” in the “Hard Love” show, will be feature artists Charles Wince, whose ornate and beautifully colored art is sure to please, along with Alan Kocharian, an artist with incredible versatility in style and ability! Be sure to mark your calendars, this show will add a wonderful note to your Valentines day plans.

“Hard Love” Valentine themed show & “Lullabies and Nightmares”- a collection of children book illustrators

Feb. 4th, 2012
8-12:30AM
$8 door
Show Runs: January 7th – 28th

Featured Artist 1: Charles Wince
Featured Artist 2: Alan Kocharian
Featured Artist 3: “Lullabies and Nightmares” children book illustrators curated by Tanya Maiboroda
Tall & Small Artist: Kim Zsebe
Installation Artist: Maritza Torres

Hard Love Artists:

Loretta Gonzalez / J.Slattum / Kayla Sanders / Henry Cram / Roxy Morataya / Paul Wilson / Cassia Lupo / Caitlin Clarkson / Lefty Joe Torres / Matt Debbaudt / Teod Tomlinson / Daisuke Okamoto / Naomi Nowak / Tim Sabatino / Laura Cosner / Ave Rose / Joan Charles / Mimi Yoon / Dominic Polcino / Peter Gullerud / Wellington Rawls / Lydia Burris / Ellen Schinderman / Rafael Delgado / Sam Woodfin / Meagan Boyd / Kent Grosswiler Jr. / Farida Lam / Junyi Wu / Charles Swenson / Masha Vereshchenko / Erin Asmussen / Peter Adamyan / Celeste Noel / Rikk Roberts / Justin Schaefer / CrazyAl / Paul Thomas / Monica Martinez and many more!

“Lullabies and Nightmares”
Sugar and spice and some things not so nice. Snips and snails and monster tales. 16 children’s illustrators expose the light and dark sides of childhood, evoking memory and imagination to explore the
lullabies and nightmares that still reside within us all.

Robin Angelides
Anthea Brown
Barbara Browning
Diane Browning
Joan Charles
Steven Corvelo
Lisa Deutsch
Terry Diefenbach
Suzy Block Engleman
Marci Hersel
Tanya Maiboroda
Kat McDonough
Irina Mirskaya
Mary Peterson
Karyn Raz
Jane Smith
Lyndi Lewis

Front Room Performances:
8pm -    the magic buzz ……………………… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjYXa6XpIqc
9pm -    david shane smith …………………. http://davidshanesmith.bandcamp.com/
10pm -   salt petal  ……………………………….. http://www.saltpetal.com/
11pm -   lovers drugs ………………………….. http://soundcloud.com/loversdrugs
12am -   carbon stereo ………………………… http://soundcloud.com/carbonstereo

Back Room Performances:
8-9PM- Trek Lewis
9-10:30- Brian Scott
10:30-11:30- Mike Q
11:30-12:30- Etsuko

Resident Artists:

Sensei / Nathan Cartwright / Mary Spring / Greg Gould / Walt Hall / Sarah Winkle / John Dang / Jinx / J.Salvador / Sphinx /
Shrine / Sonik  / Christian Hernandez / Stephan Canthal / Mike Street / JNGL / Chadwick Reinheardt / Dabbs Anderson /
/ The Little Red Writer / Randy Kono / Sara Hedstrom / Alex Schaefer /  Patrick Haemmerlein / Alan DeForest / Bethany Pratt /
/ Radhika Hersey / Romina Gonzales / Yuki Miyazaki / Ink Pen Mutations Press / Doug Meyer / Glenn Fox / Edward Frausto /
Edyth Gonzalez / Daisuke Okamoto  / David Reyes / Tom McDermott / Dominique Lopez / Sam “5AM” Millner / HumanTreeRobot /Audrey Roy / Marcel DeJure / Ernie Steiner / Matt Debbaute / Graphation / JunkHauler / Justin ZZyzx / Daniella Batsheva

BATHROOM INSTALLATIONS BY:
Alex Chiu http://alexdoodles.com
Daniella Batsheva http://daniellabatsheva.com
John Haley III

NEON INSTALLATION: Teemster teeemster@gmail.com

FABRIC ENVIRONMENTS/ INSTALLATION by: Sonik  http://www.transmorphic.net

HIVE TAROT DECK READING BY:
Seraphime Angelis
Medium, Astrologer, Card Reader, Poet
sidereally.occultated@gmail.com

http://sidereallyoccultated.blogspot.com/

SPONSORED BY:
www.fightingforfitness.org
www.buzzbeerwineshop.com

The Hive Gallery recently launched a joint art show featuring the renowned Renee Lawter and her talented husband Jeff Lawter. The show, “Broken Dreams and Fairy Wings,” focuses on living in a world of environmental imbalances and man-made destruction. In addition to the gallery being the first major collaboration between the husband and wife duo, it features the couple’s first collaborative painting, “Broken.” Individual works include Renee’s vintage framed watercolors, which incorporate her trademark cuddly monsters, while Jeff’s ink and dyes on wood portray powerful messages and call out injustices.

ChinaShop recently sat down with the artistic couple to discuss the challenge of combining their very different styles and plans for future art shows together.

What was the theme behind the show?

Renee: Broken dreams and fairy wings. The title was the perfect way to bring together the yin & yang of our styles. Jeff is very edgy, comic book world, tattoo line work perfectionist and loves letter forms and typography. Me, well I like all the opposites: wiggle lines, squishy fuzzy soft characters that pull you in and beg for you to feel like you were just hugged by a monster.

Jeff: For me it wasn’t a theme as a whole, more just a few ideas I really wanted to do. If I had to call out a theme, typography might be the closest.

Is this the first show you have collaborated on together?

Renee: Of this size, yes. We did a smaller plush show together a few years ago at the 1988 Gallery on Melrose for the Plustopia show. We contributed 3 pieces to that. Jeff would sketch out the characters on his schedule from work and bring them home then I’d build the characters in 3D plush. I loved working with him. He’s always so complimentary and genuinely taken back by what I can do. He’s probably my biggest fan… OK well my mom too.

Was your collaborative piece, “Broken,” fun to make? Do you do a lot of paintings together?

Renee: This is the first painting we did together and it was amazing to work with Jeff. He’s a real pro and just so so easy. We are thinking about doing another big show since we really liked how the “Broken” piece came out. It lit a spark in us to do more.

Jeff: Absolutely! I think we knew it was gonna be a bit of a challenge to marry our styles due to the fact that they were so different. I really liked the end result and I’m looking forward to the next ones.

What was your favorite piece that was displayed in the show?

Renee: “The Great Gumball Incident.” I don’t know why, I just really connect to the girl … it’s like she’s a caretaker. There might be a clear cut forest in the background but this little guy slipped on gumballs and his little horn fell off and she’s just band aiding him up… taking care of what she can.

Jeff: probably “Dreams” piece. My love for typography really knows no bounds. There’s just something about letterforms I love.

What is the process involved in making your work?

Renee: Ideas for me are drawn from storybooks my mom read me as a kid as well as moments in my life. I sketch and sketch and sketch until I get the feeling I like, using the pose and the face…It’s all really important to me. Thee second I feel connected to the sketch, I get into transferring to the larger sheet and water coloring.

Jeff: My concepts tend to revolve around tattoos, typography, Graffiti and old music poster art. I obsess over my line work, because this is the part I truly enjoy the most. The coloring is kind of a relaxing stage.

Did you both always want to be artists?

Renee: Yes! The only other thing I ever thought about was a chemist. I used to hide in my basement when I was a kid and just mix chemicals from around the house and from my chemistry set but I’d always do art on the side.

Jeff: There was part of me that always knew I would be an artist of some kind, but I of course chased the childhood dreams (skateboarding, musician) before I got here.

Tell us about the cuddly monster characters that appear in your artwork?

Renee: I just love making things that make me laugh, smile and literally that make me feel complete. I know how they sound, talk, walk, or move… what they do… I really need to find an animator.

Renee, do you always go after themes of conservation and preservation in your pieces?

Renee: Definitely the environment… Most of the time I stay pretty out of what’s going on in the news, a bit naive but I get pretty overwhelmed by what I see in the news or online. I’m pretty sensitive to things that are negative so when something picks at me, I like to feel like I can put a band aid on it by putting a piece of art out there to make people aware or just for a second think about things… create something new.

Why are these issues important to you?

Renee: Well it’s so simple to change and we don’t. The muscle to just buy a lot of packaging or a plastic water container is so easy. So many things have been short formed, even catching up with friends and being a decent person in society. I guess it’s important because I live here too, and I don’t want to live in my own shit to be blunt.

When you’re not making art – what are you doing?

Renee: I’m 1 of 3 partners at Eyerus, a visual communication studio in Los Angeles and I run the biz’ started it in 1999 with 2 of my best friends. I also snowboard plus I’m a foodie for sure.

Jeff: Being a bit of a foodie, listening to music, watching animation, videogames (I’m shamelessly addicted). I’m also a graphic designer at Eyerus as well full time.

Renee, you have a really diverse background- working for MATTEL, in the fashion industry…what has been your favorite sector?

Renee: My favorite sector is running my design shop, Eyerus…nothing harder and nothing more awarding. I love love love how my shop feels like a group of talented people who want to make a huge difference in design. Everyday we say to ourselves, “This is it. Let’s make some good shit” and I swear I have the best group of designers anywhere!

How does it feel to have your work sought after by people like Danny Elfman & Bobby Lee?

Renee: Crazy… Amazing… Flea from Chili peppers was interested in a big 12-foot whale I made for a show for his 4 year old but the gallery sort of didn’t know it was for sale.

What was the story with the band-aids that held up the info cards under your art? Do you guys always do that?

Renee: The band-aids were done for just this show. “Broken Dreams… “

What’s next on your art agenda?

Renee: Well we are both doing the OAC (Oceanic Awareness Collaboration) show in San Fran at White Walls Gallery. I do a lot of non-profit shows for the environment this is one of my favs. I’m also doing another show later this year on all my water creatures like my Trojan whale and sir jellies for the CAVE Gallery in Venice Beach. I also would like to find someone to bring my creatures to life. I want to do some animations about the environment from my perspective… make it fun and warm.

Jeff: Back to the drawing board of course. For me it was one of the first shows I’ve done in a very long time. I really wanted to see what pieces people responded to, if any. My work is so graphic in nature I always wonder if people are gonna enjoy it on a fine art level. More shows together would be nice.

Words by Nicole Pajer (@NicolePajer). Photos by Dustin Downing (@MeTakeaPhoto)

“Broken Dreams and Fairy Wings” will be on display at The Hive Gallery thru January 28th.

729 South Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014
www.hivegallery.com

http://www.chinashopmag.com/2012/01/broken-dreams-and-fairy-wings/#more-104129

http://monstertrocity.weebly.com/art-shows.html

http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxOrlando-Andrew-McGregor-Cit