Andy Hollidge might be short on time spent in the paint game but he more than makes up for it in talent.  Andy is what you get when fashion design goes completely awry, and one man sprints in the opposite direction!   I was able to meet up with Andy at his Art show opening which is currently running at the Otis Lounge in San Francisco.  Andy grew up in Oakland California as a youth before bouncing around the east bay and setting his sights for the coast down in Santa Barbara.  Andy is well traveled when it comes to California’s many different climates, once again calling the East Bay home and Lake Tahoe winters his second.

“I originally wanted to learn how to create snowboard outerwear so I moved back north and started going to the Art Institute for fashion design (San Francisco).  It was a direction for me that was easy to follow having that ambitious nature in my life, and actually it was just what I needed at that point in my life.

Or so he thought little did Andy know about the nature of the beast that is the fashion world.

“I was shit probably about three quarters of the way though my curriculum and I realized that the fashion industry was something I was absolutely disgusted with and despised! It was just a bunch of people that I didn’t want to be around”.

Most people go to the Art Institute to perfect their craft as an artist, not Andy.  This time was spent figuring out what he didn’t want for the rest of his life.  It was a chance meeting last summer at the North Beach street festival and a broken ankle that really sped things up for Andy.

“Yeah I met up with J-Rock who was friends with the owner of Free Gold Watch an underground T shirt company and this artist Rob Crush at the North Beach Street Festival. It really inspired me to push harder.  It was a pivotal time for me and they encouraged me when I kinda doubted myself.  “They were like what do we do with haters, we collect haters”  It was cool I mean, before last summer I had broken my ankle so that really accelerated the whole thing.  I had more art done in the past year and a half than I had my entire life.  So this is a really awakening time for me right now.”

Andy’s style is influenced by all things art with graffiti and tattoo art topping the list.  Oh there is also this ten year stretch called the 80’s.

“Dude I love the 80’s, I’m an 80’s kid.  That’s where I get all my color ideas from.  I thought it was a funny ass era.  Those were some times.  I would have loved to been 21 in the 80’s down in Hollywood or some shit.”

Andy also has some collaboration work with artist Keegan Stokes.

“Yeah we did a series together we called Ambrosal Instinct, It was a different medium it wasn’t just painting on canvas.  This one we’re taking wood panels, we would trade taping off different designs and then we would use spray paint for leaf like stencils.  Then I’d paint over it in acrylic in like a gray scale.

There is a strong female influence in Andy’s work that is hard not to notice.

“I didn’t want to just throw shit on a canvas I wanted to come up with a concept.  So at the time I was bummed, my ankle was broke I couldn’t snowboard and I really despised my ex’s.  So I was like fuck that I painted them but I didn’t to give them any credit.”

Andy’s always got his hand in something currently working as the main artist for Exploited a snowboard glove company.

“Yeah Exploited Gloves, I’m doing all the artwork for that.  It’s a 3 way ownership.  It’s a company for some real ass riders and real folks who care about riding and their friends.  Not for some fake fools who don’t know what riding is and ride that other shit.  So I guess that fashion design did come in handy.”

Yeah but we say keep painting.  Be sure to check out Andy’s work at the Otis Lounge as part of werkstate first Thursdays!  Andy Hollidge my friends!