21st Century Hustle

Steven Lopez’s background is similar to most American artists: love of art from an early age; family forbade him from pursuing his dreams; being bored in church and experiencing rejection early in life. But unlike most American artists he found his footing and now he’s well on his way to becoming a bonafide star. (interview after the jump)

TT: What is your background? Were you always an artist or did that happen later as your got older?

SL: I grew up Mexican-American in Los Angeles during the 1980s and exposure to graffiti during that time pretty much instilled in me the desire to want to paint and create art. My parents, who were middle-class blue collar workers, were not happy that I chose a career in art versus the opportunity to follow in their footsteps. I always drew, doodled even, but it was not until wining first prize in an art contest that a high school art teacher gave me the opportunity to move to Oregon to study art at the community college and university levels. Living on my own was one of the best experiences ever because I feel all artists need to eat “humble pie.” The year 2000 found me involved in the lives of children and that was when my parents noticed art had become my life; my mother finally accepted my choice of career. Also it was a matter of my ego being broken to make me the strong person that I am today.

TT: How did you link up with Lucy @ Elemental Consulting?

SL: Well I believe the meeting between myself and Elemental Consulting was destined to happen. The Midnight Series was already a year in the making and I wanted get the series out to the masses. Lucy Beer (Elemental Consulting) apparently found me and contacted me about working with Scion on an installation tour. Now of course you hear this all the time about someone “wanting to work with you” or ” let’s make something happen” so I dismissed the idea and waited for her to make the next move. Lucy stayed true to her word and was persistent in making the whole project come to life. She really believed in the work the end result is a special collaboration that I am glad happened.

TT: You mentioned in your bio “At age 4 my mom drew a cartoon character on paper. I nearly passed out from the excitement when she drew it. ” as well as “When I would go to Sunday mass, the local church has a mural that I would look at when I became bored with the priest.” I guess it’s safe to say you were hardly paying attention in church. Could you please expound on this.

SL: (Laughing) Well my mom was doodling a Mickey Mouse in an attempt to keep me quiet, occupied and I instantly recognized what she was drawing. Its pretty funny because my dad was drawing the exact same image but they differed greatly. My mom’s images was more of a hard outline whereas my dad’s was more sketchy due to this background in drafting construction plans. At that very moment I recognized the power of “control”in my mother and I wanted that same control myself. As far as the mural in the local church lets just say it helped me stay awake (laughing).

TT: How did graffiti change your life? I asked because as a photographer I am fascinated with the beauty of graffiti and the deeply rooted messages that it holds.

SL: Graffiti represented a yearning to belong. As a teenager I had no desire to be at home. I wanted to become attached to a culture that would allow me build an identity and self-image. The downside was being rejected. Graffiti was and still is not considered an art form. It is considered a form of vandalism. Over recent years it has become more acceptable

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Erykah Badu and Artist Steven Lopez collaborate for social change from Steven Lopez on Vimeo.

TT: How did the collaboration between you and Erykah Badu derive?

SL: Erykah Badu is one of my favorite artists and so after completing a piece of work I posted it to the comment section of Badu’s website and she loved it. Her guy, Paul (Marketing Director) reached out and Steven contacted the printers about creating a cool projects based upon the images I had already created. Then another person got involved about creating limited prints and then the emails and calling started happening once a week. Motown (her label), the lawyers, copy editors and their mamas got involved so I knew Badu really wanted to make this happen. To work with Badu has been a dream come true. Her music embodies strength, self-love and regality and she carries herself like a queen. Ever since I saw her perform in 2005 during the Sugar Water tour stop in Los Angeles at the Greek Theater, I knew I wanted to work with her. It has been an honor and a pleasant and I am delighted she wanted to share the same with all her fans.

TT: Aside from art, a little birdy told me you like to funk out a The Mint Club in L.A.

SL: Every Monday night you can find me at the world famous Mint Club in Los Angeles . My good friend James introduced me and I have been there ever since. The vibe is mostly jazz but it also incorporates that good rhythm and blues music. I get to paint during most of the music sets and the music heavily influences my pieces. The audience feeds me what I need in order to successfully paint. The club is a wonderful outlet and yet another way for me to gain more exposure and I get to listen to good music. Its a win-win project!

TT: Now back to your collection with E. Badu. Why are those particular subjects for “The After Midnight” collection chosen?

SL: As I stated earlier the collection had already been started and each individual was selected based upon my love of music. Each print was created in order of importance; Sade to Erykah Badu to Jill Scott and later with Nina Simone and Billie Holiday and others. All of these women embody beauty and a natural talent that is undeniable. I had to capture them in the true essence of themselves.

TT: What is your account on earning a living doing what you love?

SL: Its tough I will tell you that much. Hustling is no joke! Sometimes I question my work and why am I doing what I am doing. I am not one of those artists making a ton of money and I want to take care of the people who took care of me. Sometimes I become depressed but I know the end result will be that of success regardless of the outcome.

TT: Why did you choose to sell this series on the web as opposed to galleries or auction houses?

SL:I did it because I wanted to have complete control over my project. If I had a publisher, I would be under their bottom line and vision. And quite frankly, I grew sick and tired of trying to get approval for my ideas. In today’s modern age we can forgo a physical location and have a wider reach using the internet.

The Badu piece will be produced in a very limited run. Actually only 100 limited edition giclee prints, signed by both Steven and Erykah, will be created. They will be available for purchase on midnight on April 15th, exclusively through AfterMidnightSoul.com.

A portion of proceeds will be donated to Badu’s charity organization, Beautiful Love Incorporated Non Profit Development (B.L.I.N.D.), established in 1997 to provide community-driven development for inner-city youth through music, dance, theater and visual arts.

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