A
merican soul singer Erykah Badu may be
currently using his portrait of her for her
MySpace profi le pic, but Steven Lopez,
a 33-year-old former Eugenean artist,
is modest about it. On his blog he notes,
“A little bit of the cat has jumped out of
the bag.” Indeed, that little bit of the cat certainly
caught the attention of EW. Lopez studied art at
LCC 1995-98 and then at UO from 1998-2000,
fi nally moving back to his native Los Angeles
County in 2003. During his stint in Eugene, he
painted numerous murals throughout the city using
the pen name “Frustr8,” some of which remain to
this day. What makes Lopez’s murals stand out —
like his homage to Japanese wood-block prints on
the side of the Rest EZ Mattress Factory on West
7th — is a deft handling of spray-paint and a bold
color palette. Lopez is making a name for himself
in L.A. by continuing to paint murals, posting
time-lapse videos of himself painting soul singers
(like Badu) to his website and live painting at
various jazz clubs and events. With his solo show
coming up in September at the Fenario Gallery, EW
chatted with Lopez on the artistic life, a new mural
he’s painting in Eugene with local youth and the
difference between public art and graffi ti.
What about growing up as a Latino in L.A.
infl uenced the choices you’ve made as an artist?
I was kind of reclusive. In some ways I still am. So
not wanting to be in a popular circle gave me a third
perspective. It always made me think of stories or come
up with scenarios on why things were the way they were.
I think a lot of it has to do with the chemistry my mother
and father had. They had the elements of artistry and both
had fi ery personalities. My father is a skilled carpenter; he
could see something and build something from scratch,
from the foundation to a fi nished house. My mom was
really into crafts and hobbies so she let her mind wander
and get lost in her spare time. The work ethic was there and
being able to use my hands.
Latin American art styles seem to crop up in
your work. Have you studied those art forms?
When I look back at it, I do see myself referencing that
kind of style. Sometimes I wonder if that’s my own culture
coming through me subconsciously. I don’t look at Mayan
or Incan art and say I want to replicate it. What I see in my
work is that I’m being very bold and stylizing a lot of the
faces and the human body. Which, in essence, is what they
did a lot. The Mayan and Aztecs and Incans were stylistic
with their art and, you know, maybe the apple doesn’t fall
that far from the tree.
Opposite page:
This page:
(Clockwise from top)
(Top)
Hate on me
36” x 48” canvas
acrylic
I focus I want this
28”x 22” canvas
acrylic
Stay
36” x 48” canvas
acrylic
(Bottom)
Amerikahn promise
36” x 48” canvas
acrylic
There is also a strong mark of urban art and
graffi ti in your work, where the colors are bold
and the imagery is expressive.
If anything has been an infl uence, it has been graffi ti
art. Which helps me — or may hinder me, I don’t know yet
— but it has helped me get my color palette and to show
an explosion of a story — an explosion of equilibrium or
an explosion of thought or emotion. But lately, in the past
four years, I’ve calmed myself down both mentally and
emotionally, as well as in my art, because in years before
I was shortcoming myself for letting my own animosity or
my own personal faults get in the way of my work. When
I say “my work,” I’m really talking about my relationships
with people. I’m coming full circle in realizing that my
artwork is just a refl ection of my relationships with those
around me.
Like being an artist is about how you live, and
that comes through in your art?
Yeah! Whereas before I thought my artwork was the
ends to my means; it’s like that was what it was about.
It wasn’t about how I reacted towards people, you know,
like you should treat me as an artist. I was totally full of
myself.
Right now you’re making videos of yourself
painting portraits of soul and R&B female
vocalists (such as Badu, Sade and Chaka Khan)
using time-lapse photography. What has been the
reception you’ve received with these videos?
Recently I put these movies onto my iPhone, and it’s real
interesting to see the power of video, the power of “this is
what’s done,” and to show it to people on the spot. Rather
than say “Go to my website” or “Here’s my card,” now the
reaction is so much stronger, so immediate. We’re such a
visual society, we don’t believe something until we see it.
Once they see it, they’re like, “Who put this together?”
And you go “Me,” and they’re all like “Oh my God! You’re
doing all this stuff?” It makes people believers real quick.
How has the artistic life been treating you?
Last year I fi nally moved in as a freelance artist for
snowboard and fashion companies, doing illustrations and
paintings. It’s not the success story of “rags to riches,” but
it’s not like I’m completely struggling. After my gallery
show in September [at Fenario], I’ll be working with
the Lane County Positive Youth Development Program
Services’ Youth Action Board, directing a mural with
a team of youth between the ages of 15 and 24 at a site
One had a gift from
beyond. The other
had brought the
funk.
48”x 30” canvas
acrylic
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EUGENE WEEKLY AUGUST 7, 2008 13