Rockin' Korona and the Boogie Woogie Flu with Joe O'Neill

An SFAI alum, Joe O'Neill is a fine artist, muralist and bad-ass sign painter. 

Let me tell you snotty little brats something, if you see a masterly hand painted commercial sign and walk right by it without recognizing an artist's hand at work, I don't even wanna know ya. Joe is pretty damn adept with gold leaf too, and trust me, that stuff's a bitch to work with. 

His most recent solo show, "Secret Head Trip/What Struck Me" was at Keystone Art Space.

Here's what notorious art world crank Mat Gleason had to say about it:

"The layers and flourishes of the lettering that are the master sign painter's calling card are all still there. They stand strong yet are reduced to compositional elements within a painting that carries a larger purpose. These bold, slick, unbent letters signify that there are many here among us who will not sacrifice our personal style in the face of a world going wrong."

But that was so 2019, before the world really took a turn. I reached out to Joe yesterday to see how the end of the world is going for him.

How are you feeling?

Pretty good despite all this. I’m well rested and getting exercise. but I am worried.

Were you able to quarantine in the studio? How long has it been?

I bought a bunch of supplies to my house. My studio is only a couple miles away. There’s minimal common space and few people so I will go back there soon. I felt like the right thing to do was to just stay home for a couple weeks.

When did it hit you how serious this was?

2-3 weeks ago, when films and commercials started shutting down. my day job is in the film business.

Have you had cancelled/postponed exhibitions as a result?

Yes. 2 group shows are postponed indefinitely. a third may be online only. I also have a couple paintings in a show at golden west college that can’t be seen because the college is shut down. it’s a bummer but you know what? I’d rather have them cancelled than not have those opportunities at all.

What have you been doing with the downtime? Are you able to make art right now?

Some. it feels a little futile. I haven’t been super productive. mostly I’m just drawing and practicing painted lettering. I tend to overthink my ideas in times of stress (or maybe just all the time) so getting back to basics is good. it turns my brain off then the good ideas come. 

Are you finding any inspiration in this mess?

Maybe it’s me being idealistic but i am finding people to be a little nicer to each other, at least in one on one interactions, hoarders and profiteers aside.

I’m hoping that we come out of this with a little more compassion and empathy.  a renewed interest in universal health care and a greater understanding of the value of our labor.

What has been the most challenging part of this for you?

I want to do more to help but I must remember that staying home is helping.

What are some of your coping mechanisms?

Meditation, exercise, art, talking with friends.

What's the thing/place you wish you could do/go but can't right now?

See/touch/feel friends. be around people in general. even though I like to spend a lot of time alone I  like people. travel.

Done any binge watching, book reading, game playing?

Tiger king, like everyone else. there are some other shows.
I love reading but haven’t been doing as much as I’d like.I have had long conversations with people. longer than I would have before the pandemic. some are friends I haven’t seen in decades. that part of this is great.

Favorite work of art in Los Angeles?

There is so much great work to choose from but I will go with a long time favorite: The mural on the back side of the post office at Butler Ave and Santa Monica Blvd. in West L.A. (11420 Santa Monica Blvd, 90025. Mural is on the back outside wall overlooking the parking lot). I forget the name but it’s California after it falls into the sea. It was painted in the early 70s, I believe. it’s really faded but still really strong.

That's the "Isle of California". It's on the south side of The Village Recorder, which I think T Bone Burnett owns now, because he's there all the fucking time. It was painted back in 1972 by Victor Henderson and Terry Schoonhoven. They were part of the L.A. Fine Arts Squad. Faded as fuck now.

"Isle of California" circa 1974

How it looks this morning.

What song is stuck in your head right now?

L7 “Garbage Truck”.

You roadie for them sometimes. How are they doing?

I think they’re all right. I’m closest with Jennifer, the bass player. She’s like a sister to me. She’s The only one I’ve talked to lately, she’s doing well. They’re supposed to go to Australia and New Zealand in May, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.

I’ve been asking everybody this, favorite brand of toilet paper and where do you find it?

The bidet attachment I installed on my toilet.

Wow, you fancy!

If you could hoard one food item, what would it be?

Coffee.

Do you know anyone personally who has contracted the virus?

An acquaintance in Seattle.

How do you think this all ends?

I have no fucking idea. We will get through it. I don’t know at what cost.

Here's to gettin' through it! Thanks for talking to me, man. 

Y'all can buy the catalog from Joe's latest show here. and you should. Also, hire/commission the guy here.

Photos below courtesy of Joe O'Neill
Top photo by Marlene Guidara