AXIS X G-Pen: Commemorate The Golden Gods
Celebrating the Golden Gods Awards that are to take place May 2nd 2013, G-Pen commissioned renowned artist and musician Axis to create an illustration that will honor musicians as they walk the black carpet.
AXIS (born March 26, 1973 in London, England) is a contemporary illustrator/working class fine artist who emerged from Los Angeles’ seminal graffiti scene in the 1980s. He is most noted for his convoluted and hyper-stylized freehand characters and illustrations.
As a child, Axis moved from London to Los Angeles with his family and developed a number of musical and artistic influences including Mozart, Black Sabbath, Black Flag, Frank Frazetta, Rick Griffin, Norman Rockwell, and even Monty Python’s Flying Circus. An early convert to skateboarding and punk rock, Axis began experimenting with graffiti art in 1984 and joined L.A.’s legendary CBS Crew in 1988. By the mid-90s, he had cemented his reputation as one of the most prolific street artists working in Los Angeles. Though his career has largely unfolded outside of the graffiti landscape, his skate-punk origins continue to shape his engorged aesthetic and politicized black humor.
In addition to his artwork, Axis is also widely known as a musician. Having played (harpsichord, cello, piano) since early childhood, Axis went on to form Los Angeles hard-core/metal band The Pain (as lead guitarist and songwriter) in 2004. He has recorded two full-length albums and has toured Europe and the United States.
Axis lives in Los Angeles, where he currently exhibits his paintings in highly respected respected art galleries and museums, and he continues to paint and play music every day. Oh yeah, and he skates when he can.
To see more of Axis’ work, check out his official site and follow him on Instagram ~ @axisvalhalla
On our recent visit to Axis’ gallery, we were fortunate to get the full-blown tour by the legend himself. Here’s a small glimpse of what we got to see:
For more pictures, click here.