Juxtapoz 15th Anniversary Art Auction

Former club bouncer and Los Angeles native Estevan Oriol got his start in the entertainment business managing tours for huge artists like “House of Pain” and “Cypress Hill” almost 20 years ago. While globe trotting with them he began his photography career taking flicks of the madness and glitter that surrounds international celebrities.

When he was back home in L.A though, it was a much different story. He took his cues from the street life surrounding him. The singular dramatic black and white photos he produces are gripping, beautiful, and authentically menacing portraits of individuals fully immersed in L.A gang lifestyle.

Blessed with a talented eye and a hood pass, he takes pictures in places armed with a camera where most tough guys would take a weapon.

Check out an exclusive interview from The Run Up as Estevan Oriol expresses his thoughts, methods, and views on approaching everyday with the hunger of a hustler who doesn’t know where his next meal will come from.

Via www.upperplayground.com

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Kat Van D: Living in Northern California, do you feel that your surroundings play an influential role on your art?

Shawn Barber: Living in SF has been the most influential inspiration for my art. The quality of progressive artists that live and work here is unbelievable.

San Franciscans are working-class folk. We play hard and we work hard. The City itself is mellow, the landscape is amazing, and the energy of the people is contagious. There are little to no distractions here and it allows me to be productive. I paint at Studio GSD and it doesn’t get much better than that.

When you’re looking for subjects to paint, what are some characteristics that make a good subject for your pieces?

The Tattooed Portraits series is documentation of artists that are tattooed, tattoo artists, their tools and materials. It really is an obsession. That’s the starting point. I’m becoming more and more interested in the older generation of tattooers. The history and stories from the past are priceless. Everyone I’ve painted has been very generous with their time and energy. I can only honor them by doing the best I can with the time I have.

How do you handle negative criticism from the art world?

Criticism from the art world is something that will always be there. The past nine years I’ve been a professional illustrator. This reality, by some is seen as selling out. I’ve also taught at three different art schools the past eight years. These were both very conscious, deliberate choices.

I’ve been painting my own imagery with my own ideas before all of this and continue to do so. That’s my art. By being a successful, working illustrator I learned how to finish pieces efficiently with deadlines. It forces me into making decisive decisions and has given me dexterity and control of my materials.

Teaching has helped me be self-critical, conscious of my thoughts and purpose, and has encouraged me in being aware. The struggle as an artist has been there the whole time. I’ve been slowly moving away from commercial work and quit teaching a few months ago to pursue painting and tattooing full time. I’m probably more critical of my art than anyone else and know where I’m going with it.

Interview with Kat Van D, Excerpt from Juxtapoz #91, August 2008

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Mark Gonzales is known for making some of the most influential moves ever tracked, both on a skateboard and in the world of contemporary art. A street skating legend and art world icon, his creative interests have co-existed unrestrained for the past 20 years.

The Gonz is constantly creating—on and off the board. Once I witnessed him skate right up to a rolling rack, ollie onto it, ride the rolling rack, then kickflip off it without skipping a beat. (And that’s just some normal, every day riding shit.) He is an original thinker with a vast past of accomplishments, spanning paintings, drawings, sculpture, film, creative writing, and beyond.—Joey Garfield

“You asked how I would like the future to be. Like anybody else I’d like to see harmony, and see people move and operate in a way that is more efficient. We are getting to the point now where we’re running out of natural resources. Global warming is small compared to not having natural resources.

The future I’d want is more investigation. We need to know how to measure things. Like when you are in the train and it feels like you aren’t going anywhere—but you’re moving—we need to figure that out. And is there are people who say they dies but are right back into a different body, we need to investigate that. We need concrete evidence of things.”—Mark Gonzales

Excerpt from an interview by Joey Garfield, Juxtapoz #76, May 2007.

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For the Juxtapoz 15th Anniversary Art Auction, HVW8 donated a print from founding member Tyler Gibney. Tyler Gibney has dipped his seasoned veteran hands in the art world for over 10 years (and counting) under numerous facets, facilitating entertainment productions that celebrate the collaborative and complimentary union of music fueled imagery.

The brainchild of Tyler Gibney and pals Gene Pendon, Dan Buller, and Gibney’s partner Addison Liu, HVW8 differs from the general sector of exhibiting art spaces by appealing on a new level: offering a studio environment as a premiere outlet to design artists who often struggle with that fine crossover step into major galleries.–Erin Dyer

Erin Dyer: Describe HVW8’s approach to exhibiting artists and its various sectors of business.

Tyler Gibney: HVW8 is an artist owned and operated company. We are content providers who works with commercial clients, balancing material with artistic endeavors. HVW8’s mission is about promoting a positive outlet for artists and the arts, and also showcasing HVW8 artists, the core of which is Gener Pendon, Dan “DSTRBO” Buller, and myself. Recently we’ve had shows with Dutch designer and illustrator Parra from Amsterdam, Swedish designer Tobias Adolfsson, and American designer Brent Rollins.

-Excerpt from Juxtapoz # 83, December 2007

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To learn more about HVW8, cruise their website here.

“Playing with organized chaos and being busy is a habit I can’t always free myself from. Fortunately, I have a special friend who reminds me to be still and feel peace. There’s this beautiful gift called life. I can look at it and analyze it. I can also open it up and soak up all it’s offerings. For me, an artist’s success shouldn’t always be measured by what he or she has done. Success is about enjoying the journey, because joy offers the most rewards. There are struggles along the way, but these challenges keep things flowing. I guess there’s a reason why joy doesn’t always pay my bills- it’s priceless. This is why I love the Islands Fold Artist Residency I created with my partner Angela. It offers me an opportunity to grow things for the community art farm.”—Luke Ramsey

Luke Ramsey Profile, Juxtapoz #82, November 2007

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