Kicking It Kovid with Pastey Whyte

In life and in art, Pastey Whyte, is like a classic character actor. When he shows up, you're always happy to see him. Pastey calls himself a dirty slap tagger, but as you'll see from this interview, he's much, much more than that. Hailing from a farm on the east coast originally, Pastey has called Los Angeles home for nearly 2 decades. He's a raconteur on any subject (ask him about animal husbandry). He makes all of his slaps by hand, and he's quite generous with them. I have amassed a robust collection of them myself. He draws, he paints, he wheat pastes (get it?), he makes vibrant combines. If you see a Pastey piece in the streets, it's an original. He doesn't photocopy ever. He's a proud and doting father. I like the guy a lot and I wanted to see how he was doing during this mess. So, let's find out:

First things first. Is Pastey Whyte your real name (I ask with a grin)?

 No this is not my real name. It is my nom de guerre. I actually have three names. My real name is Ed. My long time friends call me Edsy. My art friends in LA call me Pastey. When I introduce myself at art events I introduce myself as Ed and then I tell them I am also known as Pastey Whyte from my un-commissioned public artworks. The new friend looks at me quizzically until some other artists or friend approaches and usually with a loud and hardy hug or high five says “Pastey, what’s up?” The new friend is surprised and amused and they have now forgotten my real name Ed and will usually call me Pastey when we meet again.

How are you feeling, man? 

 I feel physically fine. I keep checking in on myself worried about signs of the Covid-19 virus but so far so good. In general, I am anxious about the trajectory of the country and how that will affect my family, my art and my job. Our president, The Cheeto Mussolini, has really brought out the worst in American humanity. I fear for this countries future as well as my own.

Artistically I am a bit in the doldrums. I still make art but lately not as much as I would like. My job has been absorbing a lot of my time. It’s all about the money. I still hit the streets when I can with pastes and stickers. My street stuff isn’t gonna change a lot because I like how recognizable it is. I am looking for a new way to express myself in the studio. In the last week or so I have made a few more pieces in the studio because work has been canceled but that just makes me more anxious and doesn’t help to free up those creative juices. I get back in the studio as much as I can and keep pushing the paint and hitting the canvas. Eventually I know something will come out. I just gotta keep creating.

Have you been self-quarantining?

Yes. I have been on quarantine since March 16th. I have gone out a few times for supplies. I have gone twice to the supermarket and twice to the hardware store for house projects. I stock up at both places so I can have a variety of food to eat and supplies for several Do-It-Yourself projects. Each time I have worn a mask and gloves just to be safe.
            So I have been just hanging at the house staying busy with artwork and projects around the house.

When did it hit you how serious this was?

       It got serious when they canceled work last week. I work behind the scenes in the entertainment industry. Everybody in my business is out. It’s a bad time for us all in this industry. It’s gonna be hard on everyone that works in entertainment.

Have you had any art shows cancelled or postponed?

I didn’t have any art shows in the works so  the pandemic hasn’t affected me in that way. It be nice to have an art show coming  up though. You know of any? I am thinking about having a “garage sale” at the house when this is all over. I’ve got so much art in my studio it’s getting hard to move in there.

Do you personally know anybody who has contracted the virus? 

I know of 2 people that have contracted the Corona Virus. One is an actor on the show I work on. He is not really a friend but a co-worker. The other is someone I am friendly with who lives in Berkeley. She is the sister in-law of a friend of mine. So, no direct contacts with the virus but yes I know 2 people.

How have you talked to your daughter about this?

She is good. She just likes not being at school. She’s kind of an underachiever at schoolwork. But she is one hell of an athlete and still has very little fear about getting hurt. We just got her out of a cast that was on her ankle. Not a bad break but it still needed a cast for four weeks.The computer is great for kids these days because you can still communicate and see your friends. However it is also the conduit for school work. So. I just hope she can keep up and learn something over this quarantine time.

She is the best thing everrrrrr. I love her so much.

Is your daughter into art?

Yes! My daughter is interested in art. I have the first “straight” line she ever drew sitting at the table in my studio. I have many examples of her work and I have used some of her art in my own work.
 I take her to museums and shows when I can. Her attention span isn’t great but you gotta try. I think just exposing her to art will resonate more as she gets older.
 
I include her in my art all the time. I incorporate her work into mine. I make her a mini-cityscape with her age emblazoned in it every year for her birthday. I also have a stencil portrait I have made of her that I use for various artworks as well as in the streets.

The kid!

A little Ricky Sencion thrown in free.

What has been the most challenging aspect of this crisis for you?

Keeping motivated has been the hardest challenge. It’s so easy to lose yourself in the Social Media and Online. Plus, I have been staying away from over medicating. I have been not drinking or smoking which has helped to keep my motivation up. God knows I have just wanted to forget about this world and my responsibilities, but I have made my house nicer and pumped out a few artworks. 

How do you cope otherwise?

I cope by staying busy. I pay attention to the news of the world, but I don’t let it overwhelm me. I try to do that even when things are “normal”. It’s a fucked up world out there and staying aware but busy helps.

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

I love eating out. I am not some fine cuisine kind of diner. I miss going to my favorite taco stands, pizza joints and holes in the wall. I love the ambiance of these places. It just isn’t the same when it’s take out and you eat in the car.

I also miss going to bars. I'm not a bar fly but I do like a good drink every now and then. Just dropping in, having a nice cocktail or two and absorbing the vibe.

What's your favorite pizza joint?

Pizzanista. 2019 East 7th street. I love the pizza here. Closest thing to a New York slice you'll find in LA. I love the vibe here too low key and punk like. Reminds me of some places in the East Village in NYC. I really like their classic punk record take our boxes. I particularly like the Clash "Give 'em enough rope" inspired box. It gets mighty busy here and there isn't a lot of seating so that kinda sucks. If it's after 5pm you can go to Tony's Bar next door. They have an excellent slice and a beer special. There is a pass through window between Pizzanista and the bar. Tony's Bar is a pretty cool dive bar too so it's a great two for one.

Have you done any binge watching, book reading, or game playing? 

I have watched all the episodes of “Gentified” on Netflix. I like it because it’s all shot in Boyle Heights and East LA. I have lived in East LA for the last 17 years so there are a lot of locations I know and recognize on the show. Also the show deals with what is gentrification and the good and bad of it. I have lived and shown my artwork in many edge neighborhoods my whole adult life. The show deals with many topics that I have experienced for a long time.

 Favorite work of art in Los Angeles?

“Night Sail” by Louise Nevelson at Wells Fargo Plaza (BunkerHill), 333 S. Grand St. Los Angeles.
 But Hurry. The new developers/mother fuckers already sold a Dubuffet and a Miro that were bought as public artworks when it was known as Crocker Plaza. There are also some very lovely Robert Graham sculptures, I hope are still in the lower atrium. Also, across the Street in Bank of America Plaza there is a really nice Alexander Calder.

What song has been stuck in your head lately?

"Be Thankful For What You Got" by Curtis Mayfield. Also known as Diamond In The Back.

"Diggin' the scene with a gangsta lean!"

Favorite brand of toilet paper and where to find it?

Scott toilet paper. Larger rolls, clean and basic (no dingle berries left behind). Been using Scott TP for years. I lucked out last week when I was out shopping on my second supply run into the pandemic. They were just putting some out. It was gone in seconds.

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

Frozen Pizza. Easy to make and Satisfying. Several varieties and styles just so it doesn’t get too monotonous.

How do you think this all ends?

I think this will only polarize the country more and make people more isolationist. The oligarchy of corporations that rule the country will use this fear and isolationism to keep people down and profit from it. The oligarchies power will rise on a global scale. People will suffer more globally. The short sightedness of this profit from fear and isolationism will only create worse conditions environmentally and personally.

 So, everything is gonna be fine. “Can’t see it from my backyard”

Thanks for talking to me, man. I hope to hug ya soon. 

The filthy slap tagger

"Not now, Dad! I'm in the zone.

The Studio

The view from Pastey's bed (or so I'm told).

The inspiration station. Every artist has one.

All photos courtesy of Pastey Whyte, natch.

I'm letting the kid have the last word:

KrossD Blog Returns: Kovid19 Edition with Jules Muck

                             ***A Brief Prologue***

Before we begin, to the 45,000 eyeballs around the world who have visited this blog over the years and wondered why I disappeared, I apologize. Let me explain. At the time of my last post in December of 2016, my country had just elected a compulsive liar, womanizer, narcissist, reality television buffoon  to the highest office in the land and I got depressed. Very Depressed. Writing about art seemed pointless and trivial. Now it's 2020, he's been impeached but he's still president and the entire planet is grappling with a frightening pandemic. I'm more angry than depressed now. Art galleries have been forced to shutter their doors and many won't survive this. Artists, who often sacrifice 50% of their sales as a matter of course, are being hit especially hard. So, I'm back. I'd like to share some more of my favorite artists with you and see how they're are faring during these strange days. Thanks for being here. First up:

                     JULES MUCK a/k/a MUCK ROCK

If you've ever taken a walk around Venice, California, you've seen Jules work. If you've ever taken a walk anywhere in the world, it's possible you've seen Jules work. She gets around. Currently quarantined in Camarillo, Jules Muck is a globe-trotting artist who is equally adept with with an aerosol can as she is with a paint brush. I've seen her in action and she's lightning fast and accurate. Her cultural subject matter strikes a unique balance of caustic wit and simmering menace. She's long been an artist I admire.

Hey, Jules! How are you feeling?

       "Right now, I'm grateful. Enjoying my day. It's been a yo-yo, tho, of emotions."


Have you been self-quarantining? How many days?

       "Yes, I forget how many days. I think about a week. Tho I do go out for drives and dog walks."
      

Does Dadamuck have all the food and medicine he needs?

        "Yes, Dada is the happiest he's ever been, running around the country estate with several other dogs and endless treats."

Dada is Jules' very sweet 3 year old bloodhound.

How's your mental health? Are you taking it all in stride, or has a level of panic set in?

      "There have been moments of panic. I've felt much better since engaging in some projects and collaborations."

What's the general vibe in Venice right now? Is everyone looking out for their neighbors?

      "I don't know. I haven't been to Venice in a while. I'm staying about an hour north."

What's the weirdest thing you've seen since the crisis started?

       "Everything is bizarre for me right now, as I'm not in my normal city environment. The weirdest thing is seeing no people around, and no art, just nature."

What have you been doing with the downtime?

        "I've started a daily coloring book using images of my popular works. I upload them daily to my website for people to print and color as they wish. I've also been oil painting several pieces for fun and commissions. I'm currently painting a portrait of Banksy for the Artemizia Gallery in Arizona."

Will Banksy be unmasked in the portrait?

      "Yes. But pixelated."

What has been the most challenging aspect of all this?

      "Future tripping."

What coping mechanisms do you employ?

      "Exercise, communication, prayer, meditation, ice cream and lasagna."

Do you cook? Can you share a favorite lasagna recipe?

      "I have no idea how to cook. Someone dropped it off and I have now finished it and will find something else to latch onto."

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

      "Go on a cross country paint mission."

Done any binge watching?

      "We watched Forrest Gump while I painted a portrait of him."

Favorite work of art in Los Angeles?

      "The 4th Street Bridge"

(photographer unknown)

What song is stuck in your head right now?

      "Refugee by Tom Petty"

   


If you could hoard one guilt-free (non-nutritious) food item, what would it be?

      "Matcha"

Matcha is actually good for you, but I'll allow it. How do you think this all ends, Jules?

      "Fade out to normal, I hope"

Fuck bunnies. Jules gets it.

 Big thanks to Jules for talking to me. Please visit the Muck Shop on her website and buy some stuff, download her coloring book pages, donate and commission her. While you're on the site, please check out the tab "Garbage Bombing". It's my favorite thing she does.

All photos courtesy of Jules, except #3 which I took myself and #5 which was pilfered from the "intertubes".

Be safe and kind everybody.

               

KrossD Awards (2016 Can Fuck Off Already edition)

"Images of Police Brutality #4" by Steven Thomas Higgins

This is gonna be short and sweet. I didn't even want to do it all. Just 10 days into this year, I woke up to the news that David Bowie had died. I was completely unprepared for the degree to which that would hurt me. The shit snowball just gained velocity after that. Merle, Prince, Leonard. Then, in November, because of an arcane electoral system (that was put in place to exploit slaves), my country elected a megalomaniac racist, peeping tom, pussy grabber to the most powerful position on the planet. But even that wasn't enough for 2016. No, it had to take Carrie Fisher and her Mom away too. Fuck you 2016!

I'm forced to write this one because the best art of 2016 was so damn great, and I worry that you didn't notice. I've been kind of selfishly busy with my own career and haven't been writing about others as much as usual. I'm sorry. I owe you this much.

ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Steven Thomas Higgins

The one single shining, glorious bright spot of this horrible year, has been watching Steven Thomas Higgins work. He hasn't been loud about it. His name doesn't turn up in every group show around town. He's just been quietly, diligently, slaving away in his studio, exploring color, tonal duality, textures, and themes.He has dedicated himself to his craft, and doesn't seem to care if you're paying attention. I am. I know a few gallerists who might read this. I'm writing this for you. You need to be watching this guy. You need to be showing this guy. We need his art. Pay attention!

"In Groups" by Steven Thomas Higgins

"Lines in Blue and Red" by Steven Thomas Higgins

BEST SOLO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Public Secrets - Abel Alejandre at Coagula Curatorial

You've heard me fawn about Abel before. He has a way with line that just wrecks me. "Public Secrets" was a show that delved into myth, conspiracy theory, and family that may have been the most honest exhibit of the year.

"Ebola" by Abel Alejandre

BEST GROUP SHOW OF THE YEAR: "Sticks and Stones" curated by Douglas Alvarez at Cactus Gallery.

The theme seemed simple enough, create something that reflects childhood lessons/experiences. Who knew that that this would take every artist in the show out of their comfort zone (and signature styles) to create deeply personal, and touching work? Who knew that Alex Schaefer and Jennifer Korsen had shared memories of prismatic fascination? I spent a good chunk of the opening sitting on a forklift and being fittingly delinquent with good friends before we had to chase zombies (long story). Also, this show had my single, favorite work of art of the year in it, by Snow Mack.

"Jackson Browne Goes Downtown in his Jacks on Brown gown" by Snow Mack

NINTH WONDER OF THE ART WORLD: Leigh Salgado's laugh.

If you've never felt the healing powers of this woman's laugh, I feel sorry for you. It makes everything okay.

MOST TEARS SHED: Tfail (aka Tina St. Claire).

Although we had many mutual friends, and rubbed artwork elbows a few times, I never got to meet Tina. But her art always grabbed me by the throat, and made Los Angeles an insanely beautiful place to live. For all the heroes that fell this year, I cried the most about losing Tina. Please remember her!

Tfail

...and while I'm at it...


WORST ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Milo Moire

Yep. Her again. This year Milo actually invited strangers to grope her through a mirrored box. For fucks sake! You can talk to me until you're blue in the face about how this was a profound statement regarding consent. I'll quietly listen as you tell me that the mirrors reflect our inner perversions. I might even nod as you talk. But after you finish explaining art to me, I'm gonna walk far, far away from you and hope to never see you again.

Fuck off, 2016!

Abel Alejandre Knows Your Secrets

I can't quite put a date on the first time I saw Abel Alejandre's art. Over the past ten years, his work has just seemed to permeate my consciousness. He arrived, fully formed,  with a master's hand, and a brilliant mind. I so swiftly placed him in the brain file alongside Goya and Caravaggio, that it feels now like Abel has always been in the art history books. He's just one of those artists, where the the greatness is so apparent that the art settles inside of you on a molecular level, as if it's always been there.

I do, however, remember the first time I met Abel. A couple years ago, I was invited to a private life drawing session. The names on the invite list were all pretty impressive, heavy hitters. But the most intimidating name on that list was Abel's. It was a terrifying prospect, and the coward in me wanted to bow out. But passing on a chance to sit in a room and draw alongside Abel Alejandre wasn't an option for me. So, I went. When I arrived, there was Abel, in the center of the room, sitting at a little folding drawing table that he'd built himself, pencils and pens lined up, paper at the ready. He looked like an eager student on the first day of school, but also like a General in the war room, ready for battle. I introduced myself, and fawned over his work like a fanboy. He could not have been nicer, but his pencils were sharp, and the drawings he executed that night cut my sloppy scribbles to shreds.

If you're reading this, it's safe to assume you already know that Abel is murderous with a pencil. His graphite drawings are exquisite, painstaking wonders. But that's just half the story. Abel's latest work, Public Secrets, opening April 9th at Coagula Curatorial, is a series of paintings that explore myths, and conspiracies, the underbelly of our delusions. Abel let me visit his studio for a preview of the work. Above the entrance of his work space, a sign warns you, "Art Maker". The first piece I saw was a small, rectangular board with three cockroaches. Each roach was carrying something on it's back, like mules hauling contraband. A pencil. A cigarette, He explained the conceit of the show, that everyone has secrets. That some secrets we keep hidden, and others we reveal unwittingly. I thought the piece was scratchboard, but every single work in the show is actually a painting. Hundreds of tiny white marks on black gesso. Abel paints exactly as he draws, obsessive, diligent, intense. It's really hard to wrap your brain around how good he is, especially when you learn that he is largely self-taught. There was a thought balloon over the lead cockroach, but it was blank. I asked Abel what it was going to say.

I don't know yet. I've already erased it three times. I'm not a big fan of (pauses), I like the work to be accessible, but I don't like it to be so literal that it's like talking down. I hate talking down to my audience. So, this is about contraband, an underworld. This one's going to be carrying a bullet. I was gonna have him saying something about the shadow government.

Abel stepped into the other room, and started to pull out the other pieces in the show, as my jaw dropped.

The whole series is about secrets, conspiracies. I've come across so many people, in my personal and professional life, who keep talking to me about conspiracies and secret narratives, about Trump, 9/11 was an inside job, UFOs. It was just so pervasive, and it kept occupying my mind.

This is about American consumption of un-American drugs. They can't get it to us fast enough. We keep using whatever they deliver.

So, this series is really, you know, I was thinking about families who, now that they're here a second, third, fourth generation, they've kind of become legitimate Americans. But if you go back a couple generations, maybe they were involved in the drug trade, and it's that sort of access to money and routes that may have helped them to get here. But then this becomes a family secret. So, I was thinking of those sort of things that we hide from our friends, or maybe our siblings, or our children.

This is a portrait of my mother, who started me on this path of secrets. When I was a kid, she would tell me, 'Be careful what you do out there, because there's a little bird that tells me your secrets.' I always looked at it like a metaphor. But it was something I heard my whole life. You know, there's a little snitch in the neighborhood that's keeping an eye on me and ratting me out to my mother. So, the way I would visualize this, all these people, hiding in trees. It just created this image. They're doing surveillance. So, I grew up trusting nobody, trusting nothing for what it is. Everything has some other symbolism. In Spanish really, especially in my family, nothing that is ever said really means what they're saying. They can never say what they mean. Everything has a significance to something else.

That's a bird of paradise. For me, all things beautiful, like flowers and plants, are not to be trusted.

This has to do with Ebola. In Africa, the CDC would go in there with all their garb to protect themselves from being infected. So the witch doctors saw this, and adopted that menacing mask to distance themselves from the virus. None of it was functional. It was all sort of ceremonial. So the witch doctors would come in with these makeshift costumes in order to eradicate the disease. It was such a striking and beautiful gesture. They're trying to understand something, and this is the way they've re-contextualized. They have built a narrative that it was these people (the CDC) who brought in the disease. So, this part of the conspiracies.

This is my father, and I've turned his sombrero into a space ship. He's one of the people who always told me, 'Don't believe anybody. Everything is bullshit. Don't trust anyone.' But lately, he's been telling me of alien conspiracies.

They Walk Among Us

Every person that I know who spouts some sort of conspiracy theory, I hear all the time, 'You know they walk among us.' This is an artist, Mario Ibarra.

The show will be hung with the pieces butted up against each other, so it's like a mural. They're all gonna be having a larger conversation. This will be at the bottom, holding up the narrative. He has the weight of all these stories on his shoulders.

The way I've internalized the conspiracies, the secrets, the hidden agendas, what have you, is that people who believe these things, can not just believe one thing. A person who thinks 9/11 was an inside job? Guaranteed, you talk to them long enough, they also believe in ancient astronauts. They may believe JFK conspiracies. So, what I find is a lot of people make connections with contradictory conspiracies. There's an invisible connection that they all have, in their mind. All these people carrying these ridiculous stories; the true history, the untold history, the secret history. All these things are connected somehow. So, that's why I wanted to have these pieces all be connected, although they're individual pieces, they can also be connected.

Abel's weapons.

I should tell you that the photos here are just tiny details of the work. There is a common fear among artists that if you show your art on social media before a show, no one will come to the opening. So, for now, I have to tease you. But trust me, the caliber of Abel's latest is extraordinary. I doubt very much if I'll see a better show this year.


Public Secrets
Opening reception April 9th, 7-11pm
Coagula Curatorial
974 Chung King Road
Los Angeles, Ca 90012