POTES

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(1977)

Dave Potes' primary aesthetic is in documentary photography, focusing on people and landscapes. In 2001, after many years of producing small, limited edition zines, David, his brother Ray Potes and Stefan Simikich began publishing a quarterly black and white photography magazine called Hamburger Eyes.

Alongside his work as a commercial, editorial, and art photographer, David continues to focus his attentions on publishing limited edition zines and books. He is currently based in New York.

Watch this video about Dave Potes self-portraits by Dominick Volini:

PEZ

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(1976, Spain)

Pez started painting in 1999 in his hometown Barcelona. Specifically, he got into street art writing his signature, which soon took the shape of a fish. Little by little his tags turned into the shape of a smiling blue fish, and he became a celebrity throughout Barcelona.

Writing that peculiar signature, and influenced by comic and urban subcultures, he was interested in searching for a character whose language was universal. This was the birth of his famous character; a fish with a huge smile. 

His works appear in the best-known street art books: Street Logos, Art of Rebellion, Street Art, Bcn New York, in specialized magazines and internet websites. Last years, Pez has been creating several characters, not only his fish character, but also demons, angels, giraffes, and Martians. There is one thing they all have in common: a huge smile.

Check out this video by 55tvc:


PEAT WOLLAEGER

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(St. Louis, MO, US)

Peat 'EYEZ' Wollaeger has been drawing and painting ever since he was a kid. He started doing commercial art in the 90’s and continued for almost a decade, creating urban designs for such clients as Coca-Cola, R. J. Reynolds, M&M Mars, Anheuser Busch and some lesser evils. Burned out with the graphic arts scene and not creating any personal art, he started using stencils and spray enamels to reproduce his illustrations, and now it’s his medium of choice. 

Internationally known for his whimsical, raw, and brightly-colored stenciled characters that include, Mr. Teeth, the Dead Fat Comedians, Albino Alley Cat, and the Luchador series, Peat Wollaeger is one hard-working artist. His work can been seen all over the globe. His Luchador room at Hotel Des Arts in San Francisco, his massive wall tribute to Keith Hairing at Art Basel in Miami, the 700,000 aluminum bottles of Mountain Dew with emblazoned with his original design, his recent exhibit in Melbourne, Australia, Peat Wollaeger's art is everywhere. 

Watch this video of 'Opening Eyez on the Street' by TEDx Talks:


PAUL INSECT

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(UK)

Paul Insect is a street artist, who is most famous for his 2007 solo show Bullion exhibition at London's Art gallery, Lazarides Gallery. Damien Hirst is reported to be a fan of Insect, having purchased the show days before it opened. Insect, who also goes by the name of PINS, worked alongside well-known artist Banksy at the Cans Festival, Santas Ghetto, and on the separation wall in Palestine.

Insect is well known for his collective named 'insect' which started in 1996, and disbanded in 2005. Insect held an exhibition at a disused Sex shop in London's Kings Cross area in 2008 in partnership with Lazarides Gallery. This contained 12 bronze skulls with colour enameled bunny ears.

Watch this video of Paul Insect with BAST:


PAT THOMPSON

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(Canada)

Patrick Thompson's installations of painting, wall drawings, printmaking and sculpture, are investigations of the idea of information; explored through mass media, architecture, history and the dynamics of culture, defined equally by their range and their lyrical visual language.

Highly esteemed for pushing the boundaries of street art, he has painted outdoors under the pseudonym Evoke throughout North and Central America, Europe, and Asia. Thompson is often placed into the "Canadian School" of street artists including Other, Labrona, and Thesis Sahib, a group known for their inspired improvisations and openness towards freeform mark making.

Thompson's own creative process develops through a self-coined process he refers to as "mistakism", whereby the artist allows a memory, feeling, sentence, or some other bite of information to spark the beginning of a particular work. Imagery follows, inspired by the 'in-between' places found throughout the Canadian landscape, converging into dreamlike scenes. This union creates a pictorial space where imaginary characters, forms and marks can interact in a place that is whimsical as well as charged.

Watch this video by DevotionBCN:


OLIVER VERNON

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(1972, New York, US)

Oliver Vernon received his BFA from Parsons School of Design in 1995, and currently lives and works in Brooklyn. He has exhibited his work in cities all across the United States including New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, and Chicago, and has also shown in London and Toronto. His work is part of numerous collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Visually, Vernon’s paintings draw upon an incredibly varied pool of influences, from abstract expressionism, to post pop surrealism and the polished finish of figurative realism. Formally, his work is about the deconstruction, and hence the necessary reconstruction of visual space. From this central dichotomy stems many others: logic/illogic, physical/metaphysical, imprisonment/liberation. His paintings come to us, perhaps, as detailed snapshots of the few primordial milliseconds when the blueprint of the universe was being sculpted from the final throes of chaos. In this sense, anything goes. 

Each painting has it’s own set of rules, or rather the rules are being bent, broken and ultimately formed within each painting. Color, form, energy, architecture, good, evil, flesh and machine are lurking, never as physical entities, but as transient archetypes searching out their final places within the framework of the cosmos. Apart from this macro view, Oliver’s work can be seen at the micro level as well. We can view his paintings as representations of how the mind is formed from a foundation of thought, reason, and aesthetics, and how these entities are simultaneously at odds and interconnected.

Watch this video of his exhibition "Renegade Trajectories" by Colin M Day: 


NYCHOS

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(Austria)

Nychos is a renowned Austrian Street Artist. One of the most prolific of the European scene. His style is characterized by pop surrealist and often has a sordid and critical content, particularly on media and society. He is a wonderful illustrator and he dissects and disembowels animals that fill his compositions to put them better into light.

He was born into an Austrian hunting family in South Africa and spent much of his childhood seeing things which many ‘normal’ people would consider cruel or even brutal. For Nychos though, it was a fascinating world. At seven he was bitten by a boar while he was playing in the forest close to home. Just a little while later he had boar meat for lunch. In another instance he saw a dead baby lamb being consumed by maggots the same color as its fur. Instead of being horrified, he was fascinated. He studied the hidden insides of animals and noticed the way life often grows from other life. At the same time he was also a child of the 80s, growing up watching cartoons and being influenced by their flashy bright colors.

Nychos has done collaborations with international giant urban art scene as Roa, Aryz, Satone, Zedz and Wany.

Watch this video by Hypebeast:


NATE VAN DYKE

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Nate (N8) VanDyke is a prolific artist and illustrator who began drawing at the age of two. His medium of choice ranges from: pencil, ink, marker, watercolor, gauche, acrylic and oils. Regardless of what medium he picks up, his signature style can be seen in the contrast of his thin and thick lines in his pen and ink work and the high sheen contrast in his mixed media pieces.

Nate's heavily detailed illustrations feature his heavy metal humans and his well-known future primitive apes with dark menacing personalities. His color work features studies of animals (apes, elephants, giraffes) against lustrous backdrops.

He recently took a job as a senior concept artist at NCsoft working on City of Heroes/City of Villains. Just prior, he finished creating concept art and storyboards for the Sega video game, Iron Man. His work has also been featured in several magazines such as JUXTAPOZ, XBox, PlayStation and Heavy Metal. Over the years N8 has attracted clients such as Converse, Levi Strauss, Scion, EMI Records, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Burton Snowboards, Slayer and Wired. N8’s work has been commissioned and showcased internationally.

Watch N8 in his studio:

NATE VALENSKY

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Dream Chaser Ride On, To all those who have not yet warmed their feet next to the warmth of Nate Valensky’s forest fire; I can only wish that one would feel the feather of bliss flying down a steep hillside after a glass of fine tequila and dried bananas. Nate will inspire one to find wealth in the release of what is not important, enabling the light of what is to shine through. Comparable to walking through a freshly burned pine forest in the Upper Cascade range looking for worms to feed your sick friend the mountain lion. Creating flow like a fresh rattle snake bite, Nate can be the one that sells you your ticket to board the bus to freedom. Whisking ones feet away with the dance of his brush and the flowering of unique color that lathers the mind with a creamy butter of goodness and purity. Approach Nate Like a bubbling stream you may come upon during a journey into a beautiful new world, dip your feet in, cleanse the soul, and fill your moose blatter to the brim, because it could be many moons before you come across something this good again. - Jonathan Oliver Stein -

Watch art life and all that freshness:

 

MUNK ONE

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(US)

MUNK ONE is a contemporary American Illustrator, Poster Artist, Political Cartoonist, and Fine Artist from California. He is well known for creating Artwork for major label musical acts and world renowned brands, recognized for their creativity. His fine art has gained much attention through many galleries both at home and abroad. He was previously the official Juxtapoz Art Magazine editorial Illustrator. He is also owner and Creative Director of the Invisible Industries Brand.

His artistic style may seem serious and even dark at first glance, filled with undertones of mortality, religion, or politics but his work can also be full of movement with bright, and fun colors and ideas with a sense of humor. These elements seem to coexist and mix throughout much of his work both commercially and personally. Proficient in both traditional and computer media, he is comfortable using whatever methods his projects may call for.

Working within the apparel and merchandise industries since the mid 90s, much of his knowledge and technical expertise has been gained from hands on experience. In 2006 he decided to focus on creating his own style of art while using his website as the vehicle to share this creativity with the world. During the 2008 election He created a striking portrait of the then Presidential candidate Barack Obama that was to be used for prints, stickers, t-shirts and also ran at bus stops all over the state of Pennsylvania. In 2009 Munk One was featured in Juxtapoz Art Magazine issue #96. That year he also began to work on limited edition screen printed posters and has since worked on prints for Pearl Jam, Blink 182, 311, Soundgarden, City and Colour and More.

Watch this interview:


MR. JAGO

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(1972, UK)

Duncan Jago is considered a veteran of the urban art and design community. He has been described as a pioneer of the Scrawl Movement. Growing up in the small village of Eye in Suffolk, Jago had an intense interest in graffiti, which led him to study illustration in Bristol.

He graduated from the University Of The West of England in Bristol in 1998. It was there that Jago met Steff Plaetz and Will Barras, which led the way to the start of the now renowned Scrawl Collective agency. Mr. Jago’s skills lie in everything from painting and illustration to creating artwork and designs for some of the biggest international brands.

Watch this interview by BBC Blast:


MORNING BREATH

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Morning Breath's diverse portfolio includes designs for clothing brands, advertising campaigns, gaming and music packaging, the latter garnering a Grammy nomination for Best Special Music Packaging in the case of AFI. Morning Breath's unique and vivid approach to each project is evident by their work with notable clients that include Stussy, Vans, MTV, and Queens of the Stone Age amongst others. 

What began as a working partnership between founders Doug Cunningham and Jason Nato in 1996, the company was formally launched in 2002. Since its inception, Morning Breath continues to deliver original art that pushes the pace of the ever-evolving creative industry.

Watch this video by offthewalltv:


MISTER CARTOON

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(Los Angeles, US)

Mark Machado, better known as Mr. Cartoon or more commonly just Cartoon, is a Mexican American tattoo artist and graffiti artist based in Los Angeles, California. Since the age of eight, Mr. Cartoon realized he was an artist and went on his first paying art job at the age of twelve. Having grown up in the Harbor area of Los Angeles County, young Cartoon began airbrushing t-shirts and Lowrider cars before adopting the legendary "Fineline Style" tattoo art, which was developed in the California prison system.

Machado designed the logo for Cypress Hill. He has tattooed the bodies of Kobe Bryant, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Eminem, Method Man, Xzibit, Prodigy, Travis Barker, Scott Raynor, Bow Wow, Fredrik Ljungberg, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé Knowles, Danny Trejo, Adil Omar, Mena Suvari, Jules Jordan, Emilio Rivera, Kurt Sutter, Redman, Lewis Hamilton, and Gabriel McDonald as well as Snoop Dogg. 

In addition to tattoos, Machado's work has been used by Nike, Toyota, T-Mobile, MetroPCS and in Grand Theft Auto. Machado appeared in the documentary Scarface: Origins of a Hip Hop Classic and is a contributor to Mass Appeal Magazine. Together with friend and frequent collaborator Estevan Oriol, he owns Joker Brand Clothing. He is affiliated with Soul Assassins.

Watch this interview by Young & Reckless:


MISS VAN

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(1973, Toulouse, France)

Miss Van started wall-painting at the age of 20, in 1993, initiating the feminine movement in Street Art. Originating from Toulouse, France and having spent most of her artistic life in Barcelona, Miss Van has travelled the world painting her instantly recognizable women on the streets, as well as on canvas. She has exhibited extensively for decades worldwide in Europe, USA and Asia.

Miss Van’s recent artistic pursuits have taken her to Los Angeles, Miami , Spain and Brazil, which hallmarks a recent return to street art, after several years spent solely painting in the studio, charging her new works with increased depth, emotion and an elevated romantic darkness and delicacy. Her iconic sultry female characters reappear in sensual yet dark animal masks and evolving environments.

In a gauzy romantic compositions, they carry a surreal quality of burlesque, resonating with a beautiful synergy of rawness, softness and emotion.

Watch this interview by Friends We Love:


MIKE PARK

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Mike Park's polymer coated acrylic paintings on wood depict a melange of dream like narratives brimming with adolescent angst. His technique is impressive, and he reveals young men and women engaged in deeply personal moments, often exuding emotions of hope, fear and desire. The works can be read as a virtual map into the psyche of the human condition, where people grapple with feelings of alienation and sexual ambiguity.

MIKE MILLER

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(US)

Famed photographer/director Mike Miller has worked with some of the most iconic 90’s supermodels, photographed over 500 major-label album covers from all genres of music from Tupac, Nick Cave to Herb Albert. Recently photographed and directed YG, A$AP, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Jeezy.

Currently working with Ferrari and collaborations with Retna, Shepard Fairey among others. Clients include Angelina Jolie, Jack Nicholson, Cameron Diaz, James Franco, Sony, Nike, Puma, MTV Video Awards, Coca~Cola, Stussy, etc.

In his recent book, West Coast Hip Hop: A History in Pictures, he presents just what the title implies. A reportage of his iconic images coving the golden age of rap.

Watch this video of his hip-hop photography by KCETOnline: