TONY CAMARO
Photo above courtesy of Union Los Angeles
A few weeks ago I attended the opening of Tony Camaro’s show “FEETS TOO BIG” at a small arts space called Nearby Value in East Hollywood. The place was packed and everyone had a smile on their face. I couldn’t wait to get inside. One look at his art and you can’t help but giggle a little. As I surrounded myself with his work, I immediately started thinking about my soul’s inner child and how far I’ve come to this specific place in time. The feeling was both blissful and like a reality check. Once we grow up, we become burdened with the world’s doubt that we lose contact with this first original self that entered into the world. Tony’s art allows you to see yourself and to pause and choose joy again. It is for everyone. His will is good for this planet, skillful, and consistent. He has tremendous flair and I had to learn more about him.
Check out our conversation below.
For those who don’t know you or your work, who’s Tony Camaro? Can you tell us about your artistic upbringing? Quite simply, Tony Camaro is a kid in a grown up’s body. Born and raised in LA, I was always fascinated with the art I’d see around me - from billboards on Sunset to graffiti on the walls, these were the aspects of the city that I was drawn to and as I got older, I realized that I wanted whatever it was that I had to say to be as big and bold as everything I saw as a kid. I think that this mentality of creating a world around me continued as I started taking art more seriously in college. I studied in SF and New York for a semester and in that time not only was I learning the technical aspects of art but it was also an opportunity to break the rules. I feel like a city is just an adult playground and to this day I have the same mentality (a little bit of lawlessness), where I am determined to share my ideas with the blank canvas that is LA. There has always been some sort of creative inspiration wherever I live and so I feel like every day is this “continued artistic upbringing” where I constantly learn as I go along.
You work with several different mediums like painting, fashion, drawing, photography, design, etc. I can’t imagine you have “a favorite” but which medium comes the most naturally to you? Which is the most challenging? I think that drawing comes the most natural because there is a lot less pressure in my head to make a perfect drawing. A lot of the ideas I come up with, whether it be a painting or a piece of clothing, usually start with a doodle so this is a good way to execute stage 1 of the idea and turn it into whatever it will become. I feel like the most challenging medium is fashion for me. I love clothing and have goals to create particular pieces, but I feel like the hardest part is getting the right materials, finding people to make the samples etc. There are just more steps with fashion than painting (which is fine) just a little more “difficult” and requires more patience.
How are your fashion lines bigger than “streetwear?” What are they to you? I say that my fashion lines are bigger than “a streetwear context” because I’m not interested in a simple tee shirt or hoodie. I really respect the process of higher end fashion and want my clothing to be seen in more of that context than streetwear. I think that the mentality I have itself (the video look books, the ideas that come before it all) are all based off of higher end designers, styles, etc. I respect history and although my clothing isn’t at the level of quality - I think my mentality and knowing I wont settle for less allows me to push myself into a higher end context. It is an interesting time too because the lines are becoming more and more blurred - so when I say streetwear I think I mean the simplicity of a gildan shirt or h’s a little deeper for me and I know I can push myself harder than that.
Tony has over 800 doodles posted on his website. These are some of my favorites.
In your paintings and visual work, you’re working with pop philosophy, youth culture, symbols and iconography that we are all familiar with. And a lot of art historical figures?? Can you tell us about your relationship with art history and how it shapes your visions? (These are amazing questions) Back at the San Francisco Art Institute, where I studied, Art History was my favorite class. What’s funny is that in high school nothing ever felt like it clicked for me but then when I started learning what I wanted in college it was straight A’s. Just learning about the history of our past, the art that has come before, the artists that invented - it all makes for more context. I think it’s really important to know about the past of any subject you are learning about because that way you are not ignorant of WHY things are the way they are (historically). I reference certain imagery (religious figures, pottery, flower paintings, etc) because I think that at the core, these are all very important narratives that I like to bring back into a different context, bring them into a new Tony perspective. The pop-esque style comes from my appreciation for past artists like Warhol and Haring; bold beautiful colors with very simple messages. I was always drawn to that “complex simplicity” and also agreed that a simple bold message would be my way of getting the messages across. (Also note: sometimes it is a lot more simple in my head - I’m not always thinking about history when I do create something, but I am very glad that I know it.)
How do you use the internet in your practice? I am constantly looking at images online for inspiration. I have a mood board page and a routine where every morning I find about 5 images that inspire me online. I feel like this is a good way for me to set the tone for the day and it keeps me sharp. When I’m drawing I’ll usually have a computer by my side to look at images. This helps me draw silhouettes or think about situations differently. I take what I see and make my own story out of it, kinda like doodling in a history book.
Who are you most influenced by? There is a whole list of people that I look up to - here are some: John Baldessari, Flea, George Clinton, Miles Davis, Nigo, Basquiat, Sister Corita Kent, Barry McGee, Rei Kawakubo, Virgil, Ye, Tyler, My Friends, Ram Dass…
I’ve seen that a lot of your art supplies are from the streets. What's your favorite places to search for new material in LA? When I lived in the Valley there was this pallet yard right by my house and they always let me take them for free. That was probably my favorite place for materials. I still have a garage filled with painted pallets! That was also a beautiful time because I was so free to explore my brain. This was a real game changing part of my life because I had, what seemed like, an infinite amount of wood to paint on and so I would just go at it night and day one painting after the next … good good times.
Does your practice change over time? How does it evolve? How do you create new ideas? My practice changes every single day. There are tiny moments sometimes where I’ll do something and a line is sharper than it was, or a drawing looks more distinguished even though I did the same thing I always do - this is that improvement and change. Every day I feel wiser and more confident with my ideas and so it’s a really fun feeling to be able to execute what in my head almost exactly the way I imagine it. I read a lot, I study a lot, I walk a lot and I exercise - I think these aspects help my craft evolve. I can’t just sit and wait, I need to DO and I think that DOING it even if its a shit result is what helps to progress my ideas.
I sense a genuine level of optimism in your work. Where does that stem from? I am not a traditional person. I do not care that much about the “real world.” I don’t like the rules that much and I don’t know if I’ll ever understand “credit” (stupidest idea to me). I think that this “optimism” comes from youthful energy that some people lose. I promised myself I’d never ever lost that magic that kids have. What’s funny is that I am not always the most optimistic person, but I think that life itself is too silly to not have a sense of humor about it. I just want to make people feel that same wonder that I feel - the same wonder that a kid feels every day.
What’s next for you? Everything. I want to do everything. I want to help create world peace.
READ MORE ABOUT TONY ON AMADEUS MAG / JUXTAPOZ / MILK / BLENDS