Part of our mission here at FYC is to support creativity.  One of favorite inspirationalists, Bob Ross, put it best this way: “You can do anything you want to do.  This is your world.”  In this spirit, we have asked The Roots Factory to takeover the next Happy Little Trees art auction!

The Roots Factory is a grass roots organization that serves as a multi purpose creative art space and cultural center.  As Bob Green, one of the collectives co-founders put it best in a San Diego CityBeat article: “We’re all about tapping into the universal cultural thing.  So, our Roots Factory is a place where we can all get together and make it happen.”  They have been creating this community  for the past 3 years  in Barrio Logan at 1878 Main St.

This warehouse was established to promote culture, self -empowerment and awareness.  To embrace their purpose, they offer regular screen print workshops and classes.  They offer up their space to schools for private workshops.  Even artists can use studio time there with full access to screen print equipment.  As part of the Barrio Logan Arts District, they strive to teach that graffiti can be elevated to artwork and used as a positive mouthpiece.  The Roots Factory even operates as a screen print shop.  Make sure to take full advantage and place orders for t-shirts, stickers and more HERE!

This takeover is a match made in heaven.  Select artists from The Roots Factory will be featured and their art will be available for auction beginning at 8pm.  There will also be live screen printing demonstrations provided by The Roots Factory, as well.  Music will be provided by Karl Paeaz (B-Side Players), Beto Perez and J40.  Happy Little Trees  was conceived as a place where artists can be proud of their work.  So come this Thursday to El Dorado Cocktail Lounge for an art auction where you check out art, meet the artists, have a drink OR TWO, and bid on a piece of art!

Grow your creative roots.

 

The next “Happy Little Trees” Art Auction happening on November 8th has 6 featured artists.  And in our pursuit to make art more accessible, we thought it would help to ask our artists 6 questions to learn more about them.  Crawling inside their creative heads exposed how difficult art can really be, but in the end the struggle seems to outweigh everything else.

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ARTIST: ALLI BAUTISTA

STYLE OF: Clean Lines

Where do you call home?  San Diego. I live in South Park now, but I grew up in mid-county San Diego. 

What inspires you?  Mood driven music, visually stimulating and imaginative movies, fabrics, patterns, textiles. I also love type, so words and short phrases sometimes inspire me.

Best part about being an artist?  The sense of freedom that comes with creativity in general. You can do what you want and no matter what other people say or think, your art is yours alone and you can explain it however you want.

Worst part about being an artist?  How disproportionately expensive art supplies can be, unless you are the type to create things with found objects, which I have yet to attempt.

If you had one extra hour a day, how  would you spend it?  Reading or eating. Maybe both at the same time?

Anything else we should know?  Please, people. For the love of all that is good, use your fucking signal lights.

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ARTIST: PABLO STANLEY

STYLE OF: Messy & Dumb.

Where do you call home?  Where I work.

What inspires you?  A good book or comic.

Best part about being an artist?  When people appreciate what you do. 

Worst part about being an artist?  When people appreciate what you do.                                                                                    

If you had one extra hour a day, how  would you spend it?  Writing more comics.

Anything else we should know?  I love chocolate cake. Om, nom, nom.

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ARTIST: CARRIE ANN HUDSON

STYLE OF: Dark. Surreal. Urban.

Where do you call home?  San Diego will always have my heart and be “home” to me.

What inspires you?  Honestly, I’m inspired by fashion, my dreams, my nightmares, and all the people in my life. However, I would have to say that my biggest inspiration comes from music. It’s amazing what the right song can do for a painting or drawing.

Best part about being an artist?  Being able to create what I want to create and share it with the rest of the world is by far the best part.

Worst part about being an artist?  Insomnia.

If you had one extra hour a day, how  would you spend it?  Probably catching up on Dexter.

Anything else we should know?  I like to keep things interesting.

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ARTIST: DAVE PERSUE

STYLE OF: Mixed mediums-video, music, bunnykitty graphiti  

Where do you call home?  San Diego- North Park

What inspires you?  Music, staying active in community, my daughter, surfing. I try to be young at heart. Jim Hensen, Shel Silverstein, & Gustav Klimt.

Best part about being an artist?  Using it as excuse.

Worst part about being an artist?  The loss of sleep, the struggle of being an artist.  Pieces are tortured out of you.

If you had one extra hour a day, how  would you spend it?  Probably with my daughter at the beach. 5 yr old Penelope

Anything else we should know?  I guess we’ll need to hang out for awhile…

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ARTIST: EWOK

STYLE OF: Visual Arts: Graphic Designer, Oil Painter, Illustrator, Graffiti

Where do you call home? Southern California

What inspires you?  I think different things inspire me for different reasons-things I do are very segmented in my life. Graffiti is typically inspired by other graffiti, but that’s where my inspiration usually begins.  I see it and then become intrigued by it.  Intrigued enough that I start  to pull in other influences to create my personal style.  Like some of my early graffiti was inspired by a particular scene in the movie Akira and when I look back my art was very organic and growing at the time.

Best part about being an artist?  Nobody telling you what to do.  There aren’t any rules to it.  You’re on this personal journey, expressing yourself and its an ongoing learning process that challenges you to better yourself.  The process and the striving of it keeps things fresh & interesting.

Worst part about being an artist?  It’s not a very stable career.  There’s a lot of stress between things that make money and things that you are compelled and would rather do as an artist.

If you had one extra hour a day, how  would you spend it?  Painting.

Anything else we should know?  Nothing I can think of.

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ARTIST: SAKE

STYLE OF: When it’s Graffiti Art. I usually doing your typical New York City 1980’s Subway Art. When I’m painting with oils it’s more of a Victorian era through the 1950’a Vibe, Surrealism with a old time romantic touch. 

Where do you call home?  Any where my aisle rest-right now that place is Beautiful Spring Valley. 

What inspires you?  My wife, kids, clouds, great artists from the past and present, old photos, creepy kids. 

Best part about being an artist?  I get to paint what I like. 

Worst part about being an artist?  It’s sometimes a lonely world. 

If you had one extra hour a day, how  would you spend it?  With Family. 

Anything else we should know?  Please visit the mural I’m currently working on at the San Diego Museum of Art I will be wrapping it up this month.

We like art.  We want more art.  We also want artists to get RECOGNIZED for all of their time, effort and struggles in making their labors of love…and yes, this means getting paid.  

This event was created to give a space for creativity to be introduced, encouraged to grow, and be shared in an environment that we all feel comfortable at – a bar.  Forget the typical snooty art shows, come in jeans or come dressed up.  This is an ART AUCTION where you check out art, meet the artists, have a drink, bid on a piece (or two) and watch Bob Ross in the background making it look so easy that everyone wants to paint happy little trees.

Happy Little Trees was conceived as a place where artists can be proud of their work. We want all of our artist friends to get maximum exposure and remind the world why art is rad and how accessible it can be.  Look at art.  Talk about art.  BUY ART.  SUPPORT CREATIVITY!

 

“You can do anything you want to do. This is your world.”– Bob Ross