A/S/L?
24/m/Los Angeles, Cali.
Favorite food:
Chicken Pot Pie
Favorite cartoon:
Right now, Rick and Morty.
It’s midnight and you’re starving, what’s your go-to snack?
The liquor store down the street.
Dream job when you were a kid:
I wanted to be a treasure hunter for a long time. Like research history and go look for sunken ships.
You’re currently based in LA, has this always been home to you?
Nah. I was born in Tampa, Florida. Then I moved to Brevard, North Carolina when I was seven. And I went to school In Chicago before I came out here.
How long did it take you to find your style, and are you still harvesting it?
I'm not really concerned with style too much. I feel like I got my style cause that's who I am. It'll for sure change as I change and get smarter.
What messages do you like your art to send?
I make the art to explore my own ideas and have fun. So as far as what idea I'm dealing with, that changes everyday.
What else do you do when you’re not creating?
I feel like I'm always creating, but when I get out of the studio, I got out to bars, art shows, flea markets, the park, wherever I can find inspiration.
So you make music too!? Tell us about it. When did you start and describe your sound.
Yeah! I've been playing in bands all my life. I just started putting out my solo stuff this year though. I've been putting out a song a month as I write them. My sound is sort of surfy, dumb, sloppy, witty, country, and punk with a lot of reverb.
You are attractive to patterns that are reminiscent of some really funky and cool wallpaper designs. Where does your inspiration come from?
A lot of my pattern inspiration comes from vintage packaging and advertising, but I also love vintage wallpaper,
Your colors scream Wes Anderson’s tones in The Grand Budapest Hotel (but still very, very different). How do you create your color palettes that you are going to use? Where do you grab your inspiration?
My pallet has developed over the years, but it's always been heavily influenced by mid-century American advertising and printmaking in general.
There is often pressure in the art world to stick to one type of medium, but you have photography, music, videos, posed photos with friends, candids of you working, etc. etc. on your Instagram page. It seems like you’re having a lot of fun. Do you feel pressure to keep it fresh and consistent, or are you just going with the flow and posting what you like?
I don't feel any pressure to stick to a medium. I went to school at SAIC where they don't have majors and they encourage interdisciplinary art making. I get so bored if I have to do one thing for more than a few hours. I'm just constantly bouncing around the apartment painting, playing guitar, taking photos, filming, writing, singing, recording and building.
Where do you like seeing your art the most?
I like seeing it anywhere where it can function as a part of everyday life and culture. So I love doing product design and stuff. There's more individual freedom when I do fine art, but I love the social aspect of working on design jobs.
What’s planned for the future?
I have a solo show coming up at New Image Art Gallery in Los Angeles, California in February. I'm also curating a show in their big room that'll open at the same time. Then I'll be making collaborative work with my girlfriend Kristen Liu-Wong for a show at Superchief this summer.
Shameless plug:
IG: @lukepelletier
Music: LukePelletier.bandcamp.com
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