Interview with Loser Angeles

How would you describe your influences?
My influences are spontaneous. They arrive in dreams, walks, stress, eating a bagel… but one consistent influence is an acknowledgment of death, and appreciation for life. I attempt to study each day as it could be the last, which has led me to form an obsession with the mundane. This obsession is what I put down on canvas, expressing my bewilderment. It’s easy to forget we are not on earth very long. But I find it very important to remind myself of this each day and my work helps me convey this. Some artists I admire that I believe capture this perspective are Phillip Guston, Peter Saul and Katherine Bradford.

What are the main themes you explore in your work?
Sex, Food, Sports, Careers, Animals, Habits, Music, Transportation, Gender, Fashion, Materialism, Consumerism, Religion, Poetry, History, Technology, Plants, Race, Ceramics, Corporations, Death, Furniture, Drugs, Family, Comedy, Alcohol, Weather Patterns… things like that.

What are your influences?
My influences include children’s encyclopedias, conversations in the park, philosophy books, people waiting at bus stops, Bukowski’s short stories, marine life, cars sitting in traffic, crows barking at 6:00am, the common man’s office job, fast food advertisements, car dealership signs, the weather, the day of the week, breakfast, a brand new pair of socks, stress, Coors Banquet beer, Peter Saul’s mentality, The Chicago Imagists ideology of the art world, Katherine Bernhardt’s subjects, and Modest Mouse lyrics. A sock, a beer and a novel seem so insignificant on their own, but it is the aggregation of all these that I am drawn too. Instead of searching for some sensational and huge meaning, I focus on the point and pointlessness of soccer balls and cheeseburgers. I am most fascinated with colors and shapes.

What does a typical day at your studio look like?
I wake up at 6am, drink a cup of coffee, read a bit and then draw outside for 5 minutes. I spend about 20 minutes driving from my house in Santa Monica to my Downtown Los Angeles studio. On my way in, I practice my Spanish in conversation with my Mexican neighbors who operate the whorehouse above my studio. It is located on the edge of Skid Row, in the back of a gallery called, Shit Art Club. I run the gallery with my business partner Sean Andrews, so there is usually a couple hours in the morning spent sweeping and mopping until I get to paint. Then I paint till about 8pm. While painting, I take breaks to read, draw, play darts or skate around the block.

Where can I buy the SHIT ART CLUB shirt? Do you also ship to Europe?
Yes, of course. What’s your address?

What are you working on at the moment?
I am working towards a couple shows next year. I am building a body of work mainly consisting of humans with bowls on their heads. This work explores individuals and the shit that weighs on them. The idea stemmed from the fact that we never know what someone else is truly going through.

I am experimenting on paper works as well as some large, 2 x 3 meter pieces at the moment which have been fun yet challenging, mainly because I am not very tall. Also, a series of prints and NFT’s will be released in early 2022 followed by a book titled, „Quilted Northern“ which I have been working on for 3 years now. So ya, that’s about it! Staying busy and grateful for the future.

Loser Angeles – www.loserangeles.com