Each of the artists in the show represents, to me, some of the more exciting elements of OC art these days, which has come a long way from sea scapes and whales. All of the artists have shown their work at either PAS Gallery or Hibbleton Gallery in The Magoski Arts Colony. Here's a little info on each artist, to get ya'll excited about this show.
Russ Pope is an icon of the skate art world. He started Creature and Scarecrow Skateboards, and has worked for various skate companies. According to his bio, "After stints at Black Label, Duffs, Myrtle and Fallen, Russ finds himself at Vans. Russ’s studio is now a different garage in Orange County, California filled with cans of rejected Home Depot paint, bottles of ink, and cans of spray paint." He was named Best Visual Artist in Orange County by OC Weeky in 2010.
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| Russ Pope, "Ripstick" |
John Sollom was named Best Visual Artist in Orange County in 2012 by OC Weekly. He has been an integral part of the Magoski Arts Colony, and has shown his work often at PAS Gallery. I did a special interview with John for Hibbleton Gallery's annual magazine, Hibbleton Independent. Here it is:
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| John Sollom is a rad painter and does amazing assemblage pieces like this. |
Neil Blender is a famous skater and artist. Here he is on the cover of Thrasher magazine. No big deal.
Hagop Najarian was in a punk band with Neil Blender called Worked World. Hagop is a vey good friend of mine, who grew up in the skate/punk world of Southern California. Now he spends his time teaching college art classes, painting in his home studio, recording music, and being an amazing human being. Me and Hagop are in a band together called Big Game James.
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| This is a painting by Hagop. This dude is legit. |
Finally, Mike Myers, another buddy of mine. This is a local Fullerton artist who has shown numerous times at Hibbleton Gallery, and around Orange County. Mike is a laid-back, low key-guy who just so happens to be a fantastic artist.
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| Mike Myers, "Microscopic Hinges" |
The opening reception is from 7-10pm and it is FREE and open to the public. Go see this great show!
