Scott Hull Associates

Scott Hull Associates weird-o in residence, Grant Gilliland, was recently interviewed, photographed, and cajoled (it didn’t take that much) by the Sharpie Blog into making custom illustrated “Sharpie-art” you can personally order online for only $20! Sounds too good to be true, we know. But it’s not. This one-of-a-kind artist who describes himself as “1/2 cup of season, 1 Ren & Stimpy mix, 4 tsp of Surrealism, 1 page of The Maxx comic book, shredded, 2 small vinyl figures from Kid Robot, massaged in oil, 1 Sonic the Hedgehog cartridge (Sega Genesis) quartered and cut into large pieces, and 1 pot strong black coffee” is willing to do this just for you.

Click here to read the full (hilarious) interview with Grant the Gross Uncle!

View Artist’s Portfolio

“Domesticates”, portraits of animals and their two-legged friends, by Grant Gilliland

In June of 2009, I had my first solo exhibition at the legendary art boutique Fabric8. Fabric8 is a fusion of an art gallery, a specialty-item store, a music resource for local DJs, and a modern pop art venue that draws in the kind of varied and unique people that you’d expect to find in San Francisco’s Mission District.

I stopped in to Fabric8 to say hello and met the owner Olivia. After expressing sincere interest in showing my work, she gave me a small 8×8 inch canvas to take home and paint up. After displaying my first 8×8 painting, which sold a mere week later, the relationship between myself and the wonderful world of Fabric8 began to take place. I would bring in the occasional canvas or a painting on a found object, and would imagine in my head there was a slowly forming group of “Grant Gilliland exclusive buyers” in San Francisco. Which, by the way, gave me chills of excitement whenever I thought about it.

My relationship with Fabric8 continued into 2008, where I became part of a regular group of local artists who performed “live art” demonstrations during the monthly art openings and parties that the store would host. The experience was a bit daunting at first, made slightly less so only by the free refreshments they often provided. But regardless, my confidence in my own voice grew with each and every event I painted for. After a few more months had passed, and my work on display was beginning to circulate a bit, Olivia and I talked about a solo show, and set a date for the opening.

I began working towards a cohesive group of images, centered around pets and their owners. This gave me the opportunity to create complimentary pairs of characters that were human and non-human (and even ones that looked like a combo of both). By early June, the deadline was fast approaching and the week of the show proved to be one of all-night sessions of edge painting, color tweaking, line fixing, and gross detail adding that tested my creative and physical endurance quite a bit. Once finished, I found the hanging and exhibiting of my work to be an absolute joy, as was being able to meet people who were fans of my work and actually had a piece (or two!) hanging in their homes. Being able to meet and chat with the real-life personalities who enjoy what I do was incredibly fulfilling and very inspiring. Seeing my paintings hanging in a gallery setting for an extended period of time gave me perspective about what strengths and weaknesses I have in presenting and communicating my intention as an artist. Although my solo show’s timeline has run it’s course, and is no longer on display, I still recommend visiting Fabric8 in person or online.

http://www.fabric8.com

For three of Scott Hull Associates main artists, Grant Gilliland, Rob Schwager, and Von Glitschka, seeing their illustrations on a fan’s body in ink isn’t something that comes as a surprise anymore.

The latest trend in artsy-expression is a tattoo culture that spans all genres and styles. You can get song lyrics, portraits of loved ones, replica’s of famous paintings, your favorite cartoon character, the solar system– basically anything your creative mind can think of visually, it’s getting produced via tattoo artists and their customers.

In this subculture, no longer restricted to biker boys and gang members, a new wave is catching on quickly in the varying forms of tattoo style. Illustration and branding is being used like crazy. Rob Schwager says his reaction to its prevalence is usually, “Holy cow! Wow! Thank you.” He continues by saying, “I feel a sense of real responsibility after I see a person getting my artwork tattooed on themselves. It’s a huge honor. But, it also kicks me into overdrive to make sure I don’t get complacent and start churning out schlock.  I see too many other artists getting lazy and re-hashing stuff they’ve done a million times before. I don’t want to fall into that trap. People digging my art enough to make a lifelong commitment to having it added to their bodies, keeps me in check.” Using this experience as a personal motivation for excellence and innovation is a common thread among our artists and Rob is no exception.

Of course there is a flip side to everything and this trend is no different. Von Glitschka says, “For those who commission me it’s a great gig. But for those who don’t, it’s a flattering copyright infringement when they use my art without paying for it. So ask permission before you become a walking portfolio of mine.” Von even took to his own blog to expose and create a discussion about the consumers he had found to be abusing his art.

But overall, I think for anyone who has seen their own artwork imprinted on someone else forever, the feeling is pretty swell.

In between teaching a cartooning class and capitalizing on his thrilling vacation time in Sarasota, Florida, by immersing himself in the local art scene, Grant Gilliland has come out with a new line of custom made shoes for Vans.

Using his “Neon Ballooner” and “Unlikely Hero” illustrations as the main images, Grant’s unique Picasso-esque illustration style takes his wonderful weirdness to a whole new level. Inspired by street art and cartoon iconography, Grant makes the shoes with a dash of humor, a sprinkle of hip-hop, and a whole lot of coolness. Making them all the more original and valuable, Grant keeps to a very careful and organic process when designing the shoes which involves peanut butter and empty salsa jars. Enough said.

The shoes are truly one of a kind. Just like Grant himself.