I love Los Angeles – and I love making ART about --  and for -- Los Angeles! I have been living at the Brewery Art Colony – the largest live/work artist colony in the world I believe – since 1995.  I love being surrounded by other artists. We inspire and support each other, something that has become even more important during COVID. My love of my community and the city at large inspired me to create the catchphrase “Viva LA,” which has grown into a movement of sorts and now has its own website and special products at VivaLA.us.

I have always strived to make art that will make people happy, so I tend to work in very bright colors, many at a time, in an exuberant kind of style.  I have been called “The King of Pop Art,” referencing my signature style – my “ Kingdom of Color” that is whimsical by nature, so my projects in every medium tend to be quirky and fun, like my ongoing Shark series. They started as a single painting, and now have taken over my studio , in original paintings, prints, sculpture,  swimming across t-shirts, and now, being launched in my first NFT!  The idea of that brand-new medium is exciting to me because it will widely accessible – and it just looks so awesome on a bright video screen  

My first signature catchphrase “Fear No Art “ also started as a single painting, then became a series of products. It led to a button that was sold in over 300 museums at one time. I love that it made the idea of art accessible to everyone. No one should have anxiety about art - it is not for the elite only! That is why my public art is so important to me, to be able to share it with thousands of people every day. My first public art in LA was a large mural at the Pasadena Playhouse in 1980.  But the Pomonacopia project where I painted all 4 sides of the massive Pomona School of Arts and Enterprise is the public art project I am most proud of, because not only does it keep hundreds of school children inspired every day, but it was created as a testimonial to my father, with whom I had my only father & son exhibit down the street at DA Gallery in 2008.

To communicate through art is my inspiration through life…  Fear No Art,  live life fully, and embrace the spirit within, having the strength to overcome, the freedom to create, and the power to realize your dreams.

Viva LA!!