Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg Simkins.
Hi Greg, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am an artist creating paintings for various museums, galleries, private commissions and licensing projects around the world. The name “Craola” is my graffiti name which I took on in 1992 when I began my journey. I later transitioned what I was learning on walls and from crew members onto canvases with acrylic paint and slipped nicely into the “Pop-Surrealism” movement. I have worked in the streetwear, fashion industry as well as in video games for Treyarch/Activision on such titles as Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2x and a variety of the Spiderman video games. I, however, have spent the majority of my career painting for exhibitions and private collectors since leaving video games around 2005. If you would like to see more of my works or shop for books, prints, and merchandise, feel free to pop on over to my website GregSimkinsArt.com. I also post informative and entertaining painting videos on my YOUTUBE channel @GregSimkinsArt. Check it out if you a minute.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like everything in life worth getting good it, it takes time. Time and determination. Along the way, I’ve had to make calculated sacrifices, but it was all worth it. Putting negative relationships out to pasture was a must to stay on track. Now I find that maintaining a proper balance of work and family time is a must.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Out of his love for the animal world, he seeks to bring together unlikely camaraderies and conflicts from the landscape of his mind to the confines of canvas, paper, and walls. It is common to see deer with killer whales, puppies with crustacean pals, and birds sharing the air with rodents in his playfully ominous to ominously playful acrylic compositions informed by smooth graffiti gradients and balanced layouts that draw the eye through storylines and little vignettes.
“I’ve always been one that gets lost in daydreams. My art reflects the outside worlds where my thoughts drift, heavily influenced by the stories I read as a kid and the cartoons I was obsessed with on Saturday mornings, I find myself telling new stories to my own children these days. It’s a constant battle, but I have been leaning towards going where my art wants me to take it, to dark mountain paths lined with eyes and creatures, where birds are called dragons, and everything is dangerous, all the while fighting the voices in my head telling me to “Grow up. Maybe it’s a bit of a Peter Pan mentality, but there are times we need to escape the distractions of this world for new ones in the Outside.”
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
What I did was surround myself with like-minded people and immerse myself in the work. It is more of an obsession than work to be honest. I have never not drawn or make “art” even when it was really poorly executed, I was still driven to get better. I still maintain that as a life goal, strive to get better with each and every piece. I have had mentors along the way, but have really taken stock in studying artists who have passed already. Looking at the work of someone like Norman Rockwell or Frank Frazetta and studying their history has really helped me a lot.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gregsimkinsart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craola/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GregCraolaSimkins/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CRAOLA
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/gregsimkinsart
Image Credits
Photo credit to Brent Broza for profile photo
