An Interview With Tikijay
Interviewer: Monica Magtoto
MM: Tell us a little bit about what you do.
TJ: I make your city look pretty….I am an Urban Landscape specialist. Which translates into an urban artist fluent in the major media of the city streets, i.e. freehand graffiti, Wheat-pasted poster art, stencils and 3D sculpture interwoven in the fabric of the urban landscape. I am also a college professor at the Art Institute of Las Vegas, and a commercial designer.
MM: What was the worst critique/review/feedback you were ever given and
how did it make you feel?
TJ: The worst critique I have ever had came from myself. I try not to suffer as a result of something that I feel is unacceptable. In fact at that point I do my best to remove emotion all together and replace it with problem solving. And besides I don’t care what most people think about my work…
MM: How did that experience change or not change the way you feel/felt
about your art?
TJ: I have always felt that if I didn’t like my work then no one would like my work. Really art is your own struggle; to be comfortable within your artistic skin, if you will. I don’t believe in the bad or negative attitude. To me attitude is everything when approaching a project. The attitude will dictate the energy and love being put into a particular piece of work.
MM: What did you do about it?
TJ: It was my mission to find everything and anything positive and constructive and put it into what I was doing…I spent time with my work….I became friendly with that which was foreign to me (successful art and design). Then after a while it was not foreign but a part of my inner mind. Art was like breathing after a while. Some people will do a piece and all they can focus on is the one thing they did bad (in their opinion). That opinion is like a “seed of perception” dropped by the artist and one day that seed will grow in the mind of the viewer who will in time think that the one imperfection the artist did ruins the work. Positive must always be the attitude.
MM: Where does the tiki in tikijay come from?
TJ: The tiki in Tiki Jay comes from my icon which represents an Urban Easter Island head.
MM: What is your favorite medium to work with?
TJ: Musashi was Japans greatest Samurai. He said that one should not be disciplined in one weapon but all of them. I believe the same thing with art to be a well rounded, an artist must be fluent in as many mediums as possible and master all of them.
MM: How has your life changed since Otis?
TJ: Since I have left Otis, life for me has taken on the reality of a dream I once had when I was a little spray paint can. I am making my living and living my life as a Full-Time artist. And I am helping to shape and change peoples lives. I really am enjoying my life as an Artist/Designer/Urban Artist Extraordinaire…
MM: What is it like teaching? Any teaching advice?
TJ: Teaching has been the most Rewarding experience of my life. Teaching advice: Watch Randall Wilson teach…
MM: What is your favorite part about living in Vegas (aside from scantly clad women, of course)?
TJ: The best part about being in Las Vegas is that now I am fully motivated move back to California. As soon as they’re not broke anymore. Thanks Governator. Oh yeah and I love that the bars are open 24 hours….LOVE IT!!!!
MM: What is the biggest challenge about the medium/industry/circle you work in?
TJ: The biggest problem in industry today, and the reason some people aren’t working is because there is no money in the economy to drive the businesses the way they should be. It certainly isn’t a lack of talent.
MM: What is it like working on both the legal and not so legal sides of art?
TJ: I enjoy the archetype of being the outlaw hero……
MM: What/where is your next show?
TJ: I will be painting a gourmet Ice cream sandwich truck soon, I also have a show in Vegas, and there are some new bombing and urban projects in LA upcoming. Oh yeah and there is the new film on some of my new work.
MM: What projects are you working on right now?
TJ: Currently like I said, I have a mural project for a company called Chunk-n-chip, I am working on designs for a band called Avenged Sevenfold. I am working on a designs for a pin-up series, interviews, and my peace of mind.
MM: Where can you find tikijay on a saturday afternoon?
TJ: Um will little kids be reading this? If they are you can find me at school (Art Institute) drawing nude models…or you may find me at the bar sitting with a young lovely, or you may find me Bombing your hood.
MM: What is next for tikijay?
TJ: I am actually work on some new street art personas that will be risky in the nature of their work. I won’t go into detail, but the work will be more interactive with other artists and with the general public pushing the limits of what is considered “street art” or “respect” in the city streets. I am hoping to achieve something that is beyond myself, per say. I want to move away from the self indulgence of the single artist and include viewer and other artists at large.
MM: What would you like to say to the underdogs?
TJ: Everyone loves the underdog!!!!!
To see more of tikijay’s work visit:
