Before owning a gallery, you were an artist. Can you tell me about what opened your eyes to sign painting?
I knew I was looking for something, but I didn’t know what that was. I went to Powell’s Books when I was in Portland and this sign painting book was staring at me. I bought it and recognized that the only school in the country that teaches this trade is right down the street from me. I knew exactly what I had to do.
I began the program in 2018. After we transitioned to Zoom, there was a classroom fire so we never returned back in-person. After the term was over, my teacher, Dr. Wesley, passed away. He played a huge part in sign graphics. It was impeccable timing that I came in when I did because I got to experience all of the old sign painting traditions.
LA is known for vibrant street art and sign painting, though it’s most visible in public or outdoor spaces. What was it like transitioning into owning a traditional indoor gallery space?
Totally a fluke. When I went into sign painting, my apartment got so crowded and I needed more space. I happened to be helping out the new owners that took over my grandparents’ liquor store down the block. I saw that the space became available and I bit the bullet. It was enormous so once I got it, I stayed in one area like a cat. I knew I wanted to work out of the back, but for the front I thought, ‘Let’s display artwork here.’
The artists you exhibit don’t typically present their work in gallery spaces. How would you describe your curation process?
Right when I got the gallery, I was fixing a mural that got tagged in Glendale. A sign painter walked by and asked if I was pinstriping. From that conversation, I saw a whole world of us out there, so I made the first show about sign painters, pinstripers, automotive painters, and tattoo artists. I wanted it to be about LA where every artist picked a neighborhood that they would exclusively represent. The community came together and it just took off on its own.
