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ANDY HOWELL BIO

Andy Howell’s roots are simple: skateboarding, surfing, drawing, painting, punk rock, hip-hop. He grew up immersed in the 80’s Virginia and DC punk scenes, making ‘zines, traveling up and down the east coast for skate contests and building ramps with his friends in every place they could find. Late nights of snaking wood and nails and mornings of cutting transitions were among his first forays into alternative DIY creativity. An adrenaline junkie from the word go, he just wanted to move fast, whether on board, with brush, or spraycan. Skateboarding and art became addictions, and soon everything else fell victim. Howell turned pro as a skateboarder in1989, and became an influence in the style of street skating that would set the tone for the next 10 years. His skateboarding philosophy was like that of his artwork: do something different, stretch the boundaries, and make a statement. Howell’s skateboarding and creative work were all by-products of the prevalent punk attitude and the observations he made of the world around him. Howell's obsession with line meshed with his love of animation, cartoons, and comics while he was still a teenager, and his ongoing exploration of the two has produced a wide range of tangents including graffiti, tribal, and folk influenced work. Once described by London's The FACE Magazine as "Disney on Drugs", his work pokes a political stick at man's obsessions and excesses, confining his subjects to the interrogations room of his imagination, and barely giving them breathing room on the canvas. He paints “transcendental moments,” which he describes as “the actual moments when the layman transcends daily mediocrity, whether it be in discovery, triumph, or escape.” He works in sizes ranging from 4”x 6” to 24’x10’ and paints on anything from found doors and tabletops to electrical boxes on the street to skateboard decks to canvas and paper. Howell prefers mixed media, “anything fast, glue, gel mediums, tape, acrylic, aerosol enamels, pen and ink, anything loose and fast.”



Howell adds, "In all my endeavors, striving to push beyond society's limitations, I have always felt people wanted to pigeon hole me into a category or definition, putting me into an uncomfortable box. That feeling often comes across in my work, as well as its converse, complete freedom, which has also been a major voice. My influences at the moment range from early Native American art to space age modern geometric design, which has been resulting in pieces that I can only describe as my vision of humans in futuristic tribes." His most recent creations have been clear futuristic sculptures made from Plexiglas and film materials, inspired by the plastic uber-entertainment culture and the futuristic yet ancient simplicity of Asian architecture. He enjoys the dichotomy of creating very intricately handmade pieces using the help of machines, which he believes accurately represent our technologically advanced world in an organic way. Howell’s work relays an atmosphere of humor, while fusing his attraction to man’s vices with a cynical distaste for them. His works are like a food that is immediately enjoyable, but leaves a unique and thought provoking aftertaste. Andy Howell has been featured in a number of other books documenting the lifestyle and creative elements of contemporary art movements, including Disposable The History of Skateboard Art, Lodown Graphic Engineering, Freedom, 8.5x11, and RPRSNT, among others. His television features include an interview on Nickelodeon’s Skate TV, multiple features on Concrete Wave in Canada, interviews on MTV Latin America, and various cultural news television around the world, to name a few. His video and design work are used for classroom study at the School of Cinema and Television at UC San Diego. Howell creates illustrations and paintings that are displayed on skateboards, snowboards, t-shirts, apparel, posters, print ads, flyers, catalogs, magazine covers, storefronts, in films, on television, in commercials, online, at art shows and on the street.

Andy Howell was a featured fine artist in some of the first skater and street inspired art exhibitions at the original Alleged Gallery in SOHO in New York. He has since exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, San Diego, Atlanta, Denver, Portland, Seattle, Philadelphia, Paris, Biarritz, Hamburg, Berlin, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong, Melbourne, London, and Tokyo, in notable galleries including Spinello Gallery in conjunction with Art Basel Miami, Spacejunk, Brave Art, Simayspace, Lab 101 Gallery, The Candide, Gallery Speak For, Gallery Mosaic, One Time Gallery, Cannibal Flower, Loading Bay Gallery, Shop 7, Loft Paris, The Art Institute Gallery of Atlanta, The Art Institute Gallery of San Diego, Planet Rooth Gallery, Kantor Gallery LA, BLK MRKT Gallery LA, ModArt, Warp Tour, Dysfunctional London, XLARGE Gallery, Move 2, EightThreeEight, Revoluciones, The Art Bar, Radioactive Future, Artifact, 111 Minna, and Space 1026. He recently had a solo retrospective exhibition at the Borges Cultural Center Museum in Buenos Aires including a mural installation for the museum, and opens his first major American museum solo exhibition at the California Center for the Arts in November of 2008. Howell's recently published monograph Andy Howell / Art Skateboarding & Life is a virtual handbook for the DIY art generation spawned by Howell and his skate art cohorts during the late 80's and early 90's. The book spans Howell's artistic life from birth to present, and is complimented with interviews and contributions from 40 of the most influential creatives from the action youth culture, including Ed Templeton, Shepard Fairey, Dallas Austin, Patricia Arquette, Damon Way, David Choe, and Natas Kaupas, among others. Published worldwide by Gingko Press, Andy Howell Art Skateboarding & Life contains 304 full color pages and 2 full length action/interview DVDs directed by the creator and director of FUEL TV’s American Misfits, Ted Newsome. In its first 2 years of publications the monograph has been featured in culturallyinfluential publications Juxtapoz, Transworld Skateboarding, Modart Europe, and in retailers Urban Outfitters, Turntable Lab, and Amazon, among others.

Howell traveled the world for 7 years as a pro skateboarder doing contests and demos, forming friendships with countless emerging skaters and artists around the world. He enjoyed the opportunity to meet, skateboard, and connect with people from many diverse cultures in his travels.

During his career as a top professional skateboarder Howell received his Visual Communications degree and co-founded New Deal Skateboards, Element Skateboards, 411 video magazine, and Giant Distribution. As Creative Director at New Deal, Howell was the prime force in ushering in the still prevalent trend of graffiti and cartoon-influenced graphics for skateboards and t-shirts. His “Big Deals” were the first baggy jeans designed specifically for the boardsports industries, starting a trend that caught on like wildfire and became the trademark of action sports for almost a decade. Howell then moved on to found and direct Sophisto Clothing, MTN, Girly Things Clothing, Freedom Video and Rowdy Industries.



In 1999, Andy turned his brand-building experience to the mainstream with the creation of Imagewerks, Inc., which was later bought by Interpublic's McCann Erickson Worldgroup. As Founder, President and Creative Director of Imagewerks, Howell was responsible for major campaigns and promotions for clients ranging from edgy core brands to Fortune 100 corporations, including Toyota’s Scion, Coca Cola, Quiksilver, DC shoes, K2 Snowboards, Activision’s Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game franchise, Time Warner’s Transworld Media Group, 686 Snowboard Clothing, Ford Motor Co, and McDonalds, among others. His illustration, art direction, and brand creation for a McDonald's Happy Meal landed the promotion in the top- ten best selling for North America and became number one in Australia and New Zealand. He co-created and implemented Activision’s most successful launch event ever for the Pro Skater franchise, Tony Hawk’s Skate Free Day, where Tony Hawk effectively gave back to his endemic supporters by giving them a day of free skatepark access to their favorite parks across the US. The event’s success led to Imagewerks co-creation with Activision of an entire line of video games under the O2 sub brand, including Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer, Matt Hoffman’s Pro BMX, and Shaun Palmer’s Pro Snowboarder. Interpublic Sports and Marketing founder Mark Dowley caught on to Howell’s branding agency as the vanguard in this new action sports movement, and eventually Imagewerks was acquired by the McCann Erickson Worldgroup division of Agency magnate Interpublic Group.

Howell has art and creative directed for an eclectic array of companies including Activision, Coca Cola, KMX, K2 Snowboards, Fanta, Time Warner, Freeworld Entertainment, Casio G-Shock, Vans, TornadoSkateboard Wheels, New Deal Skateboards, Element Skateboards, and Rhythm Skateboards, among others. He has created extensive clothing lines, footwear, hard goods, textile designs, as well as branding and communications packages for a number of high profile companies including Quiksilver, DC Shoes, Rossignol, New Balance, TON, SMP, No Fear, K2 Sports, Sophisto, MTN, and Girly Things. His more recent collaborations with these companies bear his name and mark and are sold as Artist Collaborations around the world. His work has been featured in periodical publications including Juxtapoz, Modart, Create, Print, Communication Arts, The FACE (UK), R.A.D. (UK), Sky (UK), Women’s Wear Daily (NYC), UHF, SPIN, Strength, Transworld Skateboarding, Transworld Snowboarding, WARP, Time Out (NYC), Art Direction, HOW, MINT (Microsoft Online), SPIV (Turner Online), Big Brother, Skateboarder, Lodown (Berlin), DosDedos (Poland), HIRO (Poland), SUGAR (France), Seventeen, Sassy, VIBE, Rolling Stone,The Source, EYE, Photo, and Slap, among others. His art has been featured on the covers of magazines around the world.

Upon finishing a successful tenure at Imagewerks after the acquisition, Howell traveled the world for six months, re-setting, relaxing, and seeking new inspirations. He hiked live volcanoes and surfed famous reef breaks in Bali, lived for a month on an island in Thailand with no electricity or hot water, went whitewater rafting at the source of the Nile, and trekked with the endangered mountain gorillas of Rwanda. His most amazing experience of the journey was in Rwanda, where one of the SUSA group gorillas famous for its contact with Dian Fossey, walked up behind him and touched him on the head. He also connected with many old and new friends along the way, artists from around the world with different languages and cultures, but one central theme carried through: create new and exciting universal works of art that connect with people worldwide. The journey led him back to his home in San Diego, where he founded Eggprojects Brand Incubator and Hatchery in 2004 as a platform for artists and creatives around the world to connect and apply their art to functional and utilitarian objects including apparel, housewares, and beyond. Eggprojects has co-founded brands with art from designers and celebrities including Shepard Fairey, KRS One, Steven Shein, Dillon McKnight, Dave Kinsey, and others. His brands’ multi-category projects are sold worldwide in retailers from hardcore True Boutique in San Francisco to giants like PacSun, DEMO, Up Against The Wall, Nordstrom, Delia’s, Alloy, and Target. Eggprojects has been featured in print and online publications including Apparel News, Womens Wear Daily, Home Furnishing News, Create Magazine, People Magazine, DNR, YRB, In Touch, among others.

In early 2007 Howell moved into an investor position in the company and is no longer actively involved in daily operations.

During the scope of an art career, which has already spanned more than 20 years, Andy Howell has lived as a founding father and true example of the early DIY cultures of skateboarding, street/skate art, and today’s ruling graphic aesthetics. His art has moved from the street to galleries to museums over the course of his career. He continues to contribute to the visual content of the arts and action sports world, and has grown, as the culture has, into an established contemporary artist and entrepreneur spanning many genres and markets.





Selected Magazine Features
Vapors Magazine US
Arkitip Magazine US
Urb Magazine US
Risen Magazine US
Create magazine US
Transworld Magazine US
Juxtapoz Magazine US
Giant Robot US
Thrasher Magazine US
Re:Up Magazine US Wall Street Journal US
Paper Magazine US
SOURCE Magazine US
Vibe Magazine US
Time Out Magazine US
Happy Magazine US
DNR Magazine US
HFN Magazine US
Concrete Wave CAN
Sky Magazine UK
FACE Magazine UK
LoDown Magazine Germany
Modart Magazine Europe
Staf Magazine Spain
Clark Magazine France
Sugar Magazine France
Hiro Magazine Poland
Warp Magazine Japan
Tokion Magazine Japan
MTV US
MTV Latin America

Other TV, Film, and Web available on request.

Selected Book Features
Andy Howell, Art Skateboarding & Life, Gingko Press
Dysfunctional, Booth-Clibborn Editions / Gingko Press
LoDown Graphic Engineering, LoDown Press
Built To Grind, High Speed Productions
RPRSNT, Love Press
Disposable, A History of Skateboard Art, Gingko Press


Selected Exhibitions

2008

7 Artistic Sins
EVO Gallery
Seattle Washigton
Group Exhibition

Collabo Mask
San Francisco California
Group Exhibition

The Alternative Philosophy
The Leonard Street Gallery
London UK

2007

Monkeym@n, Octopu$$y, and The Bad Hands
XLARGE Gallery
Los Angeles California
Solo Exhibition

Primary Flight
Art Basel
Miami Florida
Group Exhibition

Andy Howell Retrospective
Borges Cultural Center Museum
Buenos Aires Argentina
Solo Exhibition and Mural Installation

I Wish I Was Here
Lab 101 Gallery
Los Angeles California
Solo Exhibition

Brave Art
UNIV / Vapor Studio
Encinitas California
Group Exhibition

Brave Art
Whistler BC Canada
Group Exhibition

Idea Zygotus
Spacejunk Gallery
Bourg-Saint-Maurice France
Solo Exhibition

Idea Zygotus
Spacejunk Gallery
Grenoble France
Solo Exhibition

Idea Zygotus
Spacejunk Gallery
Bayonne France Solo Exhibition

2006

Love Bombs
Andy Howell vs Davilock
Malaga Spain
Solo Exhibition

Arkitip HighMath
Copenhagen Denmark
Group Exhibition

Art Skateboarding & Life
The Emporium Gallery
San Diego California
Book Signing / Works from the book Art Skateboarding & Life

GLUE Network Bridge Mural Exhibition
Costa Mesa California
Group Exhibition / Live Painting Exhibition

Art Skateboarding & Life Subject Matter Gallery
Costa Mesa California Book Signing / Works from the book Art Skateboarding & Life

Haight Street Arts Council
San Francisco California Group Banner Exhibition

2005

Release
Kinokuniya Book Store
Sydney Australia
Live Painting Exhibition with Ginger Che

Locals Only
Los Angeles California
Group Exhibition

Invisible God
San Diego California
Group Exhibition

Skateboard Fever Iguapop Gallery
Barcelona Spain
Group Exhibition

The Love Station
WESC
Los Angeles California
Live Painting Exhibition with Chris Pastras

2004
32 Inch Canvas
Calgary Canada
Group Exhibition

DC Howell Artist Project
Los Angeles California
Shoe Launch and Exhibition

Erotica
Cassius King Gallery
San Diego
Group Exhibition

PolyCopy
Paris France
Group Exhibition

2003

8.5x11
55DSL Gallery
New York New York
Group Exhibition

Art of Motion
Del Mar California
Group Exhibition

Artwalk 03
San Diego California
Group Exhibition

Dithers
111 Minna Gallery
San Francisco California
Group Live Painting Exhibition

Therapy Kantor Gallery
Los Angeles California
Solo Exhibition

Mass Distraction
The Emporium Gallery
Group Exhibition

Modart
Munich Germany
Group Exhibition

Nikao Youth Project
Subject Matter Gallery
Costa Mesa California
Group Exhibition

Take My Hand
Planet Rooth Gallery
San Diego California
Solo Exhibition

Tomorrow Never Comes
presented by Singapore Arts Council
Singapore
Live Painting Exhibition

Small Works
The Muse Gallery
San Diego California
Group Exhibition

Zoology
111 Minna Gallery
San Francisco California
Group Exhibition

2002

The Last Mash-Up
838 Gallery
San Diego California
Group Exhibition

San Diego Underground Boardners Art
Los Angeles California
Group Exhibition

Artifact
San Diego California
Group Exhibition

Cannibal Flower
Los Angeles California
Group Exhibition

Andy Howell Dave Kinsey New Work
Compound Gallery
Portland Oregon
Solo Exhibition with Dave Kinsey

The Art of Dave Kinsey & Andy Howell
One Time Gallery
Los Angeles California
Solo Exhibition with Dave Kinsey

Modart02
San Diego California
Group Exhibition

System Failure Project
303 Gallery
Denver Colorado
Solo Exhibition with Sam Flores and Mike Giant

This Is Me
Galleries in Paris, London, Tokyo, and Los Angeles
Group Exhibition

Previous

Common Ground Space
1026 Gallery
Philidelphia PA
Solo Exhibition with Jose Gomez

Skateboard Art
Alleged Gallery
New York
Group Exhibition

Freedom / Attention Deficiency Disorder
Alleged Gallery
New York
Video Release by Andy Howell and Shepard Fairey


Andy Howell Commercial Bio / Timeline

1989- Received Visual Communications Degree from Art Institute Atlanta
Focus on Illustration, Design, Photography

1989- Became Professional Skateboarder through 1995, which included world travel for Demonstrations and Contests in US, Canada, Mexico, Japan,
China, England, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Austria,
Greece, Portugal, among others. Comprehensive study of world youth culture.

1990- Co-Founded New Deal Skateboards, partner and creative director in charge of branding, advertising, and product design. Brand heralded within industry as cutting edge trendsetting leader. Introduced street influenced graffiti art as staple for skateboard and clothing graphics. Also introduced “Big Deals” first baggy jeans made for skateboarding which launched a trend still prevalent today. Marketing label including production and distribution of Skateboards, Clothing, accessories, and videos.

1991- Co-Founded 411 Video Magazine, partner and creative branding consultant for number one action sports video magazine. Part of the New Deal, Inc group of brands.

1992- Founded Element Skateboards, partner and creative director, including branding, advertising, product conceptualization, design, graphics, video direction and production. Marketing label including production and distribution of Skateboards, Clothing, accessories, and videos.

1993- Founded Sophisto Clothing Company, owner and creative director, in charge of branding, advertising, clothing design. President of company, overseeing financial planning and growth of company. Marketing label including production and distribution of, Clothing, accessories, and videos.

1995- Founded Freedom Video, owner and Director. Full editing and motion graphics develpopment for a video project hailed as cutting edge by worldwide endemic magazines. Used for classroom study by University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television.

1995- Founded Girly Things Clothing and MTN Snowboard Gear, owner and creative director. Girly Things was noted as new clothing company of the year in fashion magazine, as well as worn by Kim Deal of pop group The Breeders on the cover and editorial of Spin Magazine, and by Naomi Campbell in Spike Lee’s Girl 6. Became popular girly brand for young teen market, influencing the birth of many girly related clothing brands in the late 90’s. MTN Clothing enjoyed a successful tenure in Japan. Both brands were widely featured in Japanese and European Teen and Youth Magazines, including SPY and Fine, among others.

1999-2004- Imagewerks, Inc
Co-Founder, President and Creative Director. Howell was responsible for major campaigns and promotions for such clients as McDonalds, Coca Cola, Activision’s Tony Hawks Pro Skater Series, K2 Snowboards, Time Warner’s Transworld Media Group, among others. Led the advertising, branding, and mosts successful launch event of Activision’s Tony Hawks Pro Skater Series. Created McDonalds Board Buddiez Fingerboard Happy Meal, which sold over 73 million units in 5 weeks, landing it in the top ten Happy Meal Promotions of all time for North America, and #1 for Australia New Zealand

2003-Present- Fathom Design Gallery, LLC
Member / Resident Artist
Studio Gallery located in La Jolla California featuring artwork from Andy Howell, Ginger Che, and a host of national artists

2004-2007- Eggprojects, LLC Brand Incubator and Hatchery Founder, President and Creative Director. Brand Creation, Distribution, Consulting. Brands include Better Chemistry, Un1versal Mind, Militree, Hollywood Starlet, Rorret, Daydream, In Crowd, ZeroPop, International Time Specialists ITS, Paradigm.

2005- Andy Howell Art, Skateboarding & Life
304 pp. illus. Hardcover, incl. 2 full length DVD’s
Mongraph of Howell’s life, as well as his skate and art careers to date
by Andy Howell with Amely Greeven.
Published by international art publisher Gingko Press

2007-Present- Artsprojekt, Inc
Founder, CEO
Artsprojekt, inc is an artists management, representation, and commerce company with a focus on bringing cutting edge contemporary artwork and collectibles to public market. In addition to providing representation for international artists, Artsprojekt, Inc creates and manages corporate relationships/promotions, produces art exhibitions/tours/events, drives fundraising initiatives, appraises art collections, manages artist relationships, and offers artist products.

More on artist Andy Howell:
ANDYHOWELL.com
Andy Howell BLOG
Andy Howell FLICKR
Andy Howell MySpace
or Google search “Andy Howell, artist”.