There are many types of artists roaming around LA. This cat takes his pen and pad with him everywhere and gets it poppin’. We recently caught up with Van in between his busy schedule to share a little bit about his background and how he started illustrating.
How long have you been drawing/creating art?
My first drawing was a doodle of Bart Simpson from the TV screen when I was two years old. According to my dad, I pointed at the scribbled smiley face with pointed hair and said “DAT BART!”
My parents encouraged me to draw, so I never stopped creating. I would cover the walls of our home with my art and put prices on them like a gallery.
What school did you go to? How did that effect your skills and outlook on art?
I went to Ringling College in Sarasota, Florida, where I took four years of figure drawing and classical oil painting. Before school, I worked almost entirely digital. haven’t done an oil painting since I graduated, but working in that medium taught me to respect the tradition of painting. At the end of my fourth year, I asked the professor if I could do the rest of my figure paintings digitally. I couldn’t afford the paints. It turned out that digital painting suddenly made sense after learning to do it the old masters way. Smelling all that turpentine for hours. Overall, Ringling gave me a lot of entitlement about the art world that I’ve since had to unlearn, but it also opened my mind to traditional mediums.
Art is the way that I move through life, and I couldn’t imagine living without it. -Van
Why are you passionate about art?
Im passionate about art because Im passionate about life. Art is the way that I move through life, and I couldn’t imagine living without it. Anything I become passionate about somehow makes it into my art and vice versa. If I didnt draw, I’d be doing interpretive dance or playing acoustic bass or something, with no less passion. It’s the “lust for life” as Vincent Van Gogh might’ve put it.
What collaborations have you done in the past?
I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with some brilliant people. All the artwork inside the booklet for RiFF RAFF’s “NEON iCON’ is a collaboration to some extent. RiFF actually art directed that whole booklet. The infamous cover image is a collaboration between myself and Uncle Grumpy, an artist best known for his work with Lil B.
Who are you favorite visual artists?
Off the dome, Id say Andy Warhol, Peter Saville, Sally Sruikshank, Keith Haring, and Robt Williams. Studying Warhol the most right now.
Who are your favorite musical artist right now?
Die Antwoord, Tycho, or Disclosure depending on how much Red Bull I drank. Also on this kick with a drum and bass inspired .
You are involved with the Hip Hop/Trap EDM scene, how did you get involved in that arena?
RiFF RAFF collaborates with everyone in the scene, so it was natural progression from working with him and Mad Decent. In addition, I had a chance meeting with Skrillex and his crew (only in LA), and that lead to a new trail of breadcrumbs. I owe a lot to Jake Stanczak of Kill the Noise in particular for bringing me on tour as a visual documentarian – the start of my live art career.
The short answer is that it was inevitable because I love bass heavy music and live in Los Angeles. I started going to 3-4 shows a week, and got hooked on hearing the combination of new and old sounds. My branding business started taking wings as well, when I realized many artists are starting new projects and need logos that last longer than a month.
What has been your favorite project you’ve worked on so far?
Oddly enough, my favorite project this year has been album design for Michael Vincent Waller on XI Records. It was a huge and worthy challenge to design for contemporary classical music, and not use any illustration – only typography. The minimalism changed the way I design forever. We celebrated the release in NYC in a Soho loft preserved since the 1970s. Unforgettable.
What can people expect from you in the future?
People can expect a lot more of my neon wildness coming out in RiFF RAFF’s clothing lines. My art is pervasive in our summer line and his reality show on MTV coming in 2016. I have a show that just got greenlit as well, but I dont want to jump the gun and announce it yet.
How can people support you and check out more of your work?
I post tons of sketches on . I have a portfolio here and selling off the last of my silkscreen prints on Etsy right now. Aside from buying their physical art, the best way to support any artist is to tell people they exist.Great question! Thanks again!
Thanks for taking the time to share your story and some wisdom with our audience. #7DaysTheory
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