Aaron Martinez - friend to cats everywhere

First off, to get this out of the way and in the open, Aaron Martinez is my brother. You could say I've known him a long time. And in that time, he's always been drawing. Always, always, always. He's probably drawing something right now, on a napkin at a restaurant, taking in the conversations around him and forming them into a visual narrative. And its probably also a good bet that there will be a cat in there somewhere.

In Aaron's work, you'll find a reflection of the world around him, through an imagination influenced by such elements as comic books, prowrestling, sci-fi aliens and robots, saturday morning cartoons, LA culture, NBA basketball, mexican culture and food, dinosaurs, low riders, classical art, video games, and of course, cats. To look into Aaron's work is to flow down the stream of his thoughts and see all the combinations of these elements interlocked together. And it all surprisingly fits. It makes sense in these combinations.

thelastcat: How long have you been doing art? (pretend I don't know)

Aaron: I've been doing art for a really, really, long time. Since I was a little niño. I always loved drawing and it's all I ever wanted to do. I bet most artists share this same exact story. To keep it short, I'm just going to say that I attribute my love for art to having a creative and supportive family. If my family didn't encourage me as a child I wouldn't have kept drawing and who knows what I would be doing right now. Maybe I'd be working at the Blockbuster Video in South Pasadena, I don't know.

thelastcat: Except all the Blockbusters are closed now, so you'd be out of a job!

thelastcat: Talk about your use of art in the professional world. What have you been doing for work, and what have you been doing lately?

Aaron: I've been working in the Fashion Industry for the last 10 years. I started as a Graphic Designer at a sporting goods company in Burbank, called Buddy's All Stars, where my Dad works. Since then I've worked as a Graphic Designer for Element Skateboards, Forever 21, and currently I'm an Art Director and Designer for the band Odd Future. From creating a clothing and merchandise collection to designing album art, websites, and tour flyers, my job keeps me super busy. When I'm not working I'm hanging out and having fun with my girlfriend, Hilliary, all my friends, my family, and my two cats; Chico and Chyna.

thelastcat: What is the story behind Los Gatos? How did you come up with them?

Aaron: Los Gatos! Los Gatos is my made-up kitty cholo gang inspired by the stray cats of Los Angeles. These cats don't care about anything but living la vida loca. Haha!

 thelastcat: What mediums did you use for these pieces in the show?

Aaron: I used pen & ink and colored pencils for THE LAST CAT show pieces. I like the bold contrast of black and white and the texture that I can get from fine pencil work. I'm inspired by Comic Book Art, Tattoos, and Lowriders.

 thelastcat: Whats the story behind werewolf boy? And robot kitty?

Aaron: Werewolf Boy is one of my alter egos. I made a portrait of him during his (and certainly my own) High School awkward phase, Junior Year. When I see werewolves in TV shows and movies they're always super buff and good looking guys with awesome powers. I'm more interested in hearing about a down-to-earth, nerdy, greasy haired, outcast - overly stressed from being a teen AND a wolf. 

Robo Kitty has it rough. Nobody wants a Robot Kitty! He lacks all the characteristics that make soft, furry, kitties cute! Poor Robo Kitty - he's on an endless journey to find meaning and purpose for his existence. Who made him? If he's a robot why does he need to nap most of the day?

thelastcat: What was the motivations behind the Batman piece, and the 'minds playing tricks on me piece'(the piece above with the guy smoking)? They both seem to carry deep thinking within them.

Aaron: The 'Batfriend' piece is sort of a self portrait. I'm realizing that most of these pieces are. I can draw characters to illustrate different parts of myself. Batfriend is a 'Kick Ass' type of character who dreams of becoming a real super hero but lacks any traditional super heroic qualities.

'My Minds Playing Tricks On Me'  shows my stream of consciousness. This piece turned out to have a made-for-tv horror vibe so I gave the main character a Freddy Krueger crewneck sweatshirt and filled the background with cutey monsters, unsung villains, and other shady deviants.

Aaron Martinez's recent art can be seen in The Last Cat art show, now at The Arsenal in San Jose. Or seen online at http://www.thearsenalsj.com/show-catalog/
Email me at luke@thelastcat.com if you're interested in a piece.
And you can see Aaron's work anytime you see something from Odd Future, or for that matter, anytime you see something from The Last Cat.

noa- ~ mounts of ash, time passes, and a sakura ~

noa- is one of the most talented artists working in the bay area today. His style and technique are distinctly his own, utilizing a mix of traditional japanese influences with bay area cultural elements, including hip hop, cannibis, and street art.

He does live painting at so many bay area events during the year, it would be easy to take him and his work for granted. Especially because he seems to create his work effortlessly, kinda flowing out of him. But when the work is done, and you step back to see it, you realize what a master of his craft the guy is. I've know noa- for some years now, and he still amazes me with his art.

thelastcat: I know you now call Oakland home, but how long have you been in the bay area now?

noa-: More than 10 years.

thelastcat: And how long have you been working in the art scene out here?

noa-: About 5 years.

thelastcat: Tell me about the long pieces in the show, the 'good time passes' pieces.

noa-: I was trying to capture the quickness of how good times pass, how they surround me and pass quickly.

thelastcat: Tell me about your sakura piece, I really love use of the petals in it.

noa-: It was inspired by a cherry blossom I saw in Japan with my love.

thelastcat: We have three pieces from your mount of ash series in the show. I think the method you used in making them is one of the coolest aspects of them, can you talk about that?

noa-: All of the pieces are drawn with ash from my days of smoking cannabis either by myself or with my friends. All the themes of the pieces are inspired with a word or slang term from cannabis culture.

noa- 's work can now be seen at The Arsenal in San Jose, or online at:
http://www.thearsenalsj.com/show-catalog/
His Mount of Ash zine and sticker/button packs are also available at The Arsenal, as well as online at thelastcat.com

Jonathan Gregg - Armed trilobites - pen on paper

Jonathan Gregg's art invites you to stare.
As you look deeper into them, you can see the level of skill and patience applied in the details.

Each dot has its place, and each dot has its mirror across the page.

Jon was raised in the central coast area of California, and has been in San Francisco since 2005.
I asked him a little about his work, to try and get some background on his style, subject matter, and attitude towards these pieces.

thelastcat: So tell me about your work, why the trilobites?

Jon Gregg: I've always been really into insects, especially beetles, so the love for trilobites just came about over time. Exoskeletons are just the best thing ever, I wish I had one. All the built in battle gear is a really good look, they lucked out. I tend to draw the trilobites surrounded by weapons or tools, which I feel came from setting up my G.I. Joes as a a kids with tons of weaponry at their grasp.

thelastcat: Tell me about the paper you used for these pieces, they seem like old vintage graph pages.

Jon Gregg: Being a lightweight hoarder, I gather a lot of art materials at flea markets, thrift store, and estate sales. Its a favorite pastime. Old supplies pair well with ancient subject matter.

the last cat: Who are some artists that have influenced you, or even any influences for that matter?

Jon Gregg: Favorite artists would be Brian Froud, Lebbeus Woods, Alex Kopps, and Aaron Horkey. Things that influence me are insects, fossils, 80's toys, earth tones, Sade, and old Mobb Deep.

Jonathan Gregg's work can be seen right now at The Arsenal gallery in San Jose, or online at:
 http://www.thearsenalsj.com/show-catalog/

The Last Cat art show photos 6.26.13

The Last Cat art show - July 26th, at the Arsenal in San Jose.

Proud to announce The Last Cat art show, opening July 26th at The Arsenal in San Jose, CA. Starring some amazing artists: Aiyana Udesen, Albert Reyes, Aaron Martinez, Joe To, Sean Boyles, Eric Butler, Tim Diet, Jonathan Gregg, and Noa-. I'm going to do some short interviews with each artist leading up to the show, and show off some of the pieces from the upcoming show. There will definitely be new product coming in, tying in to the show. And I'm going to work on some freebies for the opening as well. Awesome freebies, nothing lame.

white collection, now up

white collection, now up.
staring aiyana udesen, kris chau, albert reyes, noa, matt furie, and joe to.
check it out - thelastcat.com

sizes out of stock, diamond in the back

Crewnecks down to just a few mediums and a small, vnecks down to just larges.
Get 'em while you can, next batch coming soon....