The cover for Hi-Fructose Magazine Vol. 41 comes from painter Greg “Craola” Simkins, an artist based in Los Angeles. In this post, you can take a look at how he created the piece that would become this cover. See those photos and a video below. Simkins was last featured on HiFructose.com here.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlp4bxdY_qE&w=600&h=415]
In a statement on his website, the artist clarifies how he comes up with his imagery: “As our imagination takes over, we tend to leave what is ordinary and go outside of ourselves to visit these places. This is why I paint and what has inspired me over the years to grow as an artist. It is the constant search for what else is on the outside.”
Before embarking on a career as a full-time artist in 2005, Simkins worked as an illustrator for clothing companies and other brands. He also worked on video games like “Tony Hawk 2X,” “Spider-Man 2,” and “Ultimate Spider-Man.” Among his early influences, as a kid growing up in Torrance, Calif., Simkins cites cartoons, animals, stories, tattoos and “mind-numbing trips to grandma’s house.”
The twin brothers who work under the moniker "Perez Bros" were first exposed to the car culture of Los Angeles in their youth, and to this day, it informs their collaborative painting practice. Their current show at Thinkspace Projects, titled "Cruise Night(Office)," collects some of their recent auto-filled scenes. It runs through the end of the month at the space.
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