"At the Epoch of Eras: Utopian Marketplace" by Eve Skylar

“‘Broken’ and ‘hope’ are the two strong words to describe the Rusted Souls’ world: broken robots, broken people, broken ideals, and the thing that persevered was the people’s hope for the future.”  -Eve Skylar

Eve Skylar, one of our featured artists and top-sellers from the current exhibition, gave us some comical and in-depth answers during her interview:

Can you talk a little bit about your work in this exhibit and how it relates to “The Rusted Souls“?

When James proposed “The Rusted Souls” as a concept art themed show, I was thrilled to see how the different worlds might look like: totalitarian, utopian, and dystopian states. Having worked as a production designer and concept artist on
animated films, I tend to see paintings through the cinematic lens. So I wanted to create a narrative of the Rusted Souls environments through a progression of shapes and color.

What kind of artist do you consider yourself?

I am a visual story-teller/artist. I tell stories through my art.

What’s your favorite thing to draw?

Everything fascinates me. But people point out to me that I tend to draw a lot of trees and robots. Apparently as a kid, I drew animals and their poop.

How did you get started making art?

When I was seven years old, my parents enrolled me in a city-wide drawing competition. They bought me oil pastels and my uncle handcrafted a drawing  table. The theme was “a normal Sunday.” I drew an elephant playing soccer. I didn’t win any awards. But that one experience was etched into my memory. My parents didn’t have much, but they always tried to prioritize and give me early life experiences. The rest of my life afterwards was pretty much about survival. I worked two jobs and got myself through college. It wasn’t until about five years ago that I consciously decided to start making art again. I have a lot of people to thank for it.

What is something people may not know about you?

I like to surf. When I lived in Long Beach, I surfed almost every day along the Pacific Coast Highway. I have a 7’8” trick board waiting for me. I once got stung by a stingray.

Where is one your favorite places to go in the city?

You can probably find me sketching inside Café Hana or perusing Kinokuniya in Japantown or in Green Apple Bookstore on Clement Street.

Can you give us some insight behind your three major paintings?

I  wanted to include weather and time of day into the environment narrative. The “Utopian” painting, with its brighter palette emphasizes the ideals of sunny daytime. The “Night Watch” nurses “hope” through a blistery snowy night just
before the break of dawn. The painting “Infiltration” (inside the Capitol), with its industrial complex working around the clock, takes place during an unknown- ambiguous dusty timelessness, when it is either always daytime or always nighttime.

A lot of these discoveries came by through my sketch explorations. “Broken” and “hope” are the two strong words to describe the Rusted Souls’ world: broken robots, broken people, broken ideals, and the thing that persevered was the people’s hope for the future.

What advice would you give to artists?

Art is freedom!
Do what you love. Get heated about life. Chase your dream with all your pride.
Challenge yourself, seek new skills, and grow to “see” better.

Art is a lifetime’s worth of adventures and everyone travels differently. Your best guide to “getting there” is to ask your seven-year-old self. You are more than you think, you have the courage and imagination to see beyond “impossible” things.

 Art is: a riot!

For more information, you can visit her official website: www.eveskylar.com
Eve would like to thank: 1AM, Maya Griffin, James Garcia, Rick Kitagawa, Martha Tian, family and friends.

“The Rusted Souls” exhibit will be showing until May 6th.

Gaby is an orphaned 12-year-old girl surviving in a future apocalyptic world where robots (the Mechs) slaughter and retrain any humans against them. Orphaned when her two freedom fighter parents were killed, Gaby then stumbled on a refugee camp. There she was mentored by an elderly woman with the abilities to disrupt time and space. Now with her extra-sensory powers, martial arts training and her troop, The Rusted Souls, Gaby plans to lead humanity back from the darkness and kill all robots in her way!

"Gaby in Exo-Suit" by James Garcia

A digital print by James Garcia featuring young Gaby in her Exo-Suit.

"Gaby" by Jesse Hernandez

“Gaby” by Jesse Hernandez with pencil and blue line, showing a detailed, more animated version of Gaby.

"Gaby by Jeremy Sorrell

 
“Gaby” by Jeremy Sorrell. A more realistic portrayal of Gaby, made with acrylic and watercolor.

"Rise Above" by Christopher De Leon

“Rise Above” by Christopher De Leon. Christopher aims to capture her attitude. He was one amongst the many who portrayed Gaby at different ages.

"Gaby & M2" by Karlo Santa Ana

“Gaby & M2″ by Karlo Santa Ana shows a younger version of Gaby in her futuristic M2 fighter vehicle.

These are just a few of the artworks of Gaby in The Rusted Souls exhibit. The show runs until May 6th, so don’t be afraid to come and check them all out!

The last weekend of the sale has arrived!

Specials include:

$4 Ironlak cans
50% off selected books
$14 shirts, $32 crews
50% off remaining Truck Show pieces (See Online)

Last chance!

Graffiti Art by Wand @ 1AM's "Outside In 2"

Check out Wand’s work in “Outside In 2″, now at 1AM through April 8th!

Don’t sweat! Our current exhibition “Outside In” brings the murals indoors!

For the 2nd time, every cut, every fade, each line, stroke, flare, doo-dad, polka dot, bit, arrow; everything is so close you can smell it, you can almost touch it, we don’t condone the tasting of any art, but as you can see it is close enough for you to enjoy to your heart and camera’s content.

Do you hear what I’m saying? If you really love it, you can bring it home with you!

Graffiti is a modern medium that is increasing in popularity all around the globe. More people than ever are beginning to understand the concept of graffiti and the quality of work that goes into producing it.

Elements of graffiti are now seen in everyday consumer products such as furniture. Don’t be surprised if you happen to see design savvy retailers (much like the one depicted above) selling life-size fat caps that are intended for sitting and not spraying.