New arrivals: Snapback Hats! →
We are excited to announce NEW "MASK" snapback hats by Greg "CRAOLA" Simkins are now available at IMSCARED.COM!
Lola's Lands Newest Addition to Growing Mural Collection in Long Beach →
Photo by Asia Morris
Mural by Greg "CRAOLA" Simkins
Long Beach now has another gem of a mural to boast about, thanks to Lola’s Mexican Cuisine’s Luis Navarro, Long Beach arts aficionado Artie Ray Luna and revered street and studio artist Greg “Craola” Simkins.
Unveiled last week in Lola’s back patio to many a margarita-drinking arts appreciator, not a poor decision was made as the local merry-makers showed their love for a mural well done. Navarro told the Long Beach Post how the idea was first inspired about a year ago as the inaugural POW! WOW! Long Beach was taking place. Read more at the Long Beach Post...
New Interview: Greg “Craola” Simkins →
Greg “Craola” Simkins has a nickname to set him apart, but maybe that’s not needed: his versatility is enough to separate him from others. With a career that includes many years as a graffiti artist, a painter of beautifully rendered fine art pieces, and one who keeps his fingers in a variety of commercial art pursuits, including clothing, animation, toys, and album art, Simkins might well stand alone as a success on many artistic fronts.
“I don’t know if I hold on too tightly to my adolescent insecurities, or if it is this wiring that actually pushes me forward in trying to get better at my craft, but I have come to terms with it over the years and have developed a saying amongst some friends to help us cope with these feelings and ground what we do: ‘We aren’t curing cancer.’ That way, I don’t take myself too seriously and I can just enjoy the process of making paintings and drawings and release some of the weight I throw on my back.”—Greg “Craola” Simkins
"YELLOW" REMARQUE RELEASE + "BEYOND SHADOWS" CLOSING RECEPTION, SAT. JUNE 18th, 2-4 pm
"YELLOW", 25 x 20" IMAGE, 27.5 x 22.5" PAPER, REMARQUE GICLEE EDITION OF 50
PLEASE JOIN US FOR
G R E G 'C R A O L A' S I M K I N S
CLOSING RECEPTION + SPECIAL REMARQUE PRINT RELEASE
"Y E L L O W"
SATURDAY, JUNE 18th, 2 - 4 pm
FREE TO THE PUBLIC // ALL AGES // NO RSVP NECESSARY
** SIMKINS WILL BE AT THE GALLERY FROM 2-4 PM ON SATURDAY, JUNE 18th HAND DRAWING A 'REMARQUE' SKETCH ON EACH GICLEE PURCHASED
>> Simkins will only be signing the "YELLOW" giclee at this event <<
FOR OUT OF STATE OR PRE-ORDERS, PLEASE CONTACT INFO@KPPROJECTS.NET
TO RECEIVE MORE INFORMATION ON ORIGINAL ARTWORK & OTHER NEW GICLEE RELEASES CONTACT PREVIEW@KPPROJECTS.NET
KP PROJECTS // MKG
170 S. LA BREA AVE
LOS ANGELES CA 90036 // 323.933.4408
MKGALLERY.COM
Between The Lines: Greg 'Craola' Simkins by HavocTV
HavocTV follows surrealist painter Greg 'Craola' Simkins as he prepares for his current exhibition, "Beyond Shadows". Craola takes us through his process, goals, and the challenges an artists faces when putting together and creating for a solo show.
Video: Opening reception for "Beyond Shadows"
Video by @birdmanphotos
"Beyond Shadows" is on exhibition at KP Projects / MKG May 21st - June 18th, 2016. For more information on available artwork contact info@kpprojects.net or call 323.933.4408
NEW PRINTS: "Beyond Shadows" & "The Glass Pinata"
"Beyond Shadows"
Giclée on Fine Art Paper
30 x 30 in. image size / 34 x 34 in. paper size
Signed & Numbered, Ed. of 30 (+ 10 APs)
$250
Giclée on Canvas
36 x 36 in.
Signed & Numbered, Ed. of 5 (+3 APs)
$1,350
Available at KP Projects Gallery
"The Glass Pinata"
Giclée on Fine Art Paper
30 x 19 in. image size / 34 x 23 in. paper size
Signed & Numbered, Ed. of 30 (+ 10 APs)
$180
Giclée on Canvas
36 x 22.75 in.
Signed & Numbered, Ed. of 5 (+3 APs)
$850
Available at KP Projects Gallery
"Beyond Shadows" Opening Reception Photos
Thank you to everyone who came to my "Beyond Shadows" opening reception at MKG/KP Projects Gallery. I enjoy seeing your faces each year! If you didn't get a chance to see it yet, the works will be on exhibit until Saturday, June 18th.
Photos by Birdman.
Woodland Creatures and a Lemon-Octopus: Imaginative Paintings from Greg ‘Craola’ Simkins →
Cutesy woodland creatures, crumbling dystopian walls, Alice in Wonderland–esque parties. The artwork of Greg “Craola” Simkins is a veritable cornucopia of classic Americana imagery, distorted through a fantastical lens. His work, a selection of which is on view in a solo show atKP Projects/ MKG in Los Angeles, explodes with unique style unsatisfied by the ordinary and the everyday. Read more on Artsy...
One-of-a-Kind Meets Once-in-a-Lifetime as Virginia MOCA Unveils “Turn the Page: The First Ten Years of Hi-Fructose” →
The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) announces the opening of “Turn the Page: The First Ten Years of Hi-Fructose” (Turn the Page), on view May 22 through Dec. 31, 2016.
The exhibition is a collaborative initiative by two like-minded organizations, MOCA and Hi-Fructose, The New Contemporary Art Magazine, based in San Francisco, California.
The exhibition, curated by MOCA, will feature some of the foremost contemporary artists through a ten year retrospective of the art magazine, Hi-Fructose. This exhibition is a unique opportunity to bring a broad spectrum of artwork by over 50 artists from the pages of magazines and computer screens to the walls of a contemporary art museum that dedicates itself on educating the significant art of today. Turn the Page represents the museum’s first large-scale contemporary retrospective and the first time these artists will be shown together in one location. Read more at altdaily.com...
In the Studio: CRAOLA - Havoc Television
Special thanks to Havoc Television for the fun studio visit and interview!
Over the last couple of months we’ve traced surrealist painter Greg ‘Craola’ Simkins’ artistic journey as he creates in preparation for his now yearly show at well-known Los Angeles gallery, Merry Karnowsky Gallery.
Back in February we stopped by Craola’s studio, where he was in the midst of two large scale paintings – filled with his signature whimsical and incredibly realistic worlds – and a smaller, but just as detailed canvas. All three would inevitably end up on the crisp white walls of Mary Karnowski Gallery in a few months for his show, Beyond Shadows – Drip Scripts; the same walls that have hosted artists like Shepard Fairey, Jim Houser and Mel Kadel. Read more...
TAKE A STEP BEYOND SHADOWS WITH GREG 'CRAOLA' SIMKINS →
In Greg ’Craola’ Simkins’ paintings phantasmagoric characters play the leading role. Each and every one of them came out as a product of the artist’s imagination, but seemingly they are all becoming alive on the canvas and continuing to live the life of their own. Altogether they create such a jolly little crew made out of exotic animal hybrids, humanized herbals, tattooed lemons, cartoon drawings, octopus-like clocks, and various other inspirational sensations. And they are all together going to be presented within the upcoming solo exhibition titled Beyond Shadows, which will show Greg’s newest artworks at the KP Projects/ MKG Gallery in Los Angeles. Read more and preview more images on Widewalls.
Left: Greg ‘Craola’ Simkins – The Glass Pinata / Right: Greg ‘Craola’ Simkins – YELLOW
What Does That Say About Me? by Greg ‘Craola’ Simkins →
Guest Blog on WOW x WOW
Do you remember the first time you saw a giraffe? It was your first trip to a zoo, and the books and TV animal shows couldn’t compare to the experience. It was the real thing. Flocks of flamingos, monkeys swinging around their cages, snoozing lions, hippos, tigers and bears, and then you walked up to the giraffe enclosure, for some reason you were able to get a bit closer to these storied creatures at the zoo.
Read more more on WOW x WOW...
Photo by Bird Man @birdmanphotos
Studio Visit w/Greg “Craola” Simkins →
Interview with one of surrealism’s masters, Craola
By: Keisha Raines | Photo: Birdman
Check out a new interview by Be Street in which Greg "CRAOLA" Simkins talks about his upcoming solo exhibition, Beyond Shadows. Read it here.
Last day to pre-order "Stabby" shirts at a special price! →
Today is the LAST DAY to pre-order "Stabby" shirts by CRAOLA at $24.99!
Visit IMSCARED.COM to order.
"Stabby" Pins and Shirts!
Simkins has teamed up with Yesterdays.co to create three new collectible nickel plated lapel pins featuring Stabby, Stabby Spray and the I'M SCARED logo.
We are also excited to have our new Stabby shirts by To Die For available at a special pre-order price of $24.99 for a limited time only.
Pre-Order Now
Special pre-order price ends on April 24, 2016.
Orders ship May 1, 2016.
Save the date: 'Beyond Shadows' Solo Exhibition
KP Projects/MKG
170 S. La Brea Avenue
(in the ART 170 Building)
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 933-4408
Exhibition Dates: May 21 - June 18, 2016
Opening Reception, Saturday, May 21st, 7-10pm
RSVP essential to rsvp@kpprojects.net
Gallery Hours: Tuesdsay - Saturday: 12 - 6pm
Beyond Shadows represents a culmination of the diverse influences which drive Greg ‘Craola’ Simkins in his tireless pursuit of Art. From folk tales and back alley graffiti, to the early works of Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney, these influences come together in an intricate storm of kaleidoscopic colors, esoteric scenes, and artfully wrought textures.
Despite their disparate styles, a reverence for graffiti aesthetics, punk rock sensibilities, and formal painting practice all unify Simkins’ new works. His surfaces are meticulously layered and treated to achieve a weathered patina of old paint and tags, sometimes
layered for years. This laborious process coopts the aesthetics of the dilapidated buildings and alleyways that serve as incubators for street based art, and allows Simkins' works to breach the walls between his paintings, his audience, and the outside world.
Rebellious and sharply humorous, Simkins’ paintings overrun the pristine gallery environment with a riot of extraordinary characters. These range from photorealistic blue jays, to exotic flora and fauna hybrids like Yellow, a heavily tattooed lemon-octopus, or Stab E. Mack, a boisterous switchblade character of Simkins’ own creation. In stark contrast to these figurative works, a full exhibition of Simkins newly stripped back ‘Drip Scripts’ paintings that exploit the subliminal forces of shadow, light and monochrome tones for maximum effect, will be concurrently unveiled upstairs at LAUNCH Gallery. Sea foam textures, titanium white and inky black; their planes represent realms entirely divorced from the confines of reality providing a perfect yin-yang to the fantastical world below. It will be Simkins largest exhibition to date.
In the words of the artist, My artistic journey began as a child daydreaming and creating strange realms where anything was possible. It later turned into going on adventures, writing on walls in the shadows of night. What if those walls began to crumble? What would we encounter as we emerge on the other side? Would it be lands full of flying fish, giant birds, and Noble Knights? Would I belong or fit in? Journey with me over the wall as we discover what lies beyond the shadows. - Greg ‘Craola’ Simkins
Greg Simkins was born in 1975 in Torrance, California. At age 3 his early attempts at drawing were inspired by various cartoons and later books such as Watership Down by Richard Adams, and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. At the age of 18, Simkins started doing graffiti under the pseudonym “CRAOLA.” Graffiti became his impetus for painting and gave him the confidence to pursue large painterly works.
In 1999 Simkins received his Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art from California State University of Long Beach, and in 2005, after some time working as an illustrator, Simkins pursued his desire to paint full time. He has since been featured in numerous group and sold out solo exhibitions. His art is featured in everything from clothing to video games and toys. His client/collaboration list includes, among others, Disney, Mattel, Juxtapoz, Logitech, Vans, Converse, Electronic Arts (EA), Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Linking Park, Blink-182, Upper Playground, “To Die For Clothing”, and Dark Horse. Simkins’ artwork currently appears in galleries throughout the world.
For More Information, please contact Merry Karnowsky at info@mkgallery.com
Press Contact: Jessica O’Dowd jessica@mkgallery.com
Greg “Craola” Simkins Chats To The Idle Man →
New interview on theidleman.com:
In our Best Of The Web series we chat to creative talent from all over the world, gaining tips on fashion and style from designers, journalists, musicians and more. This week we’re with artist Greg “Craola” Simkins, whose gained world wide esteem with his majestic artwork.
Inspired by everything from videos games to graffiti, Greg’s intricate and mystic artwork combines familiar images of our childhood story books with twisted and sometimes sinister additions. Hands hide locks into underwater mazes, birds carry serpents with glowing eyes to unknown lands, and steampunk style worlds rage battle against one another.
We’re not the only ones impressed with his unique style, and Greg’s had a success artistic career, working with various companies and bands as an illustrator, and having his work displayed in countless museums around the world. We caught up with him to hear what he’s been up to recently and his views on men’s fashion and style. Read the full interview here.
Photo by Brent Broza