Lou Pimentel is an up and coming artist from New York who’s art work is stuck between various styles. However being stuck is a great thing for Lou as his art is very fresh, bold and colourful. Lou very kindly agreed to take part in this months Artist interview to tell us a bit more about himself and show us some of his new work, so enjoy.

Hello Lou Pimentel, Thanks for taking time out to take part in this interview. To begin take us back to your childhood and how you got involved in art?

I started drawing at the age of four. My father sat me down one Saturday morning and taught me how to draw a fish. That was all it took to get me interested in the arts. I began drawing fish on every surface I could find. I guess some would have called me a lil Graffiti artist. At the age of seven I won a school drawing contest with a picture of Dr. Martin Luther King; they displayed my drawing at a local Mc Donalds. It was a very proud moment for me. When I was nine I moved to NYC. I lived right on Flatbush Avenue. Man did I love New York back then. Graffiti was EVERYWHERE, nice bold letters, and bright colours. That had a huge impact on me. I would look out of my window and imitated all the letters and names I could see. I slowly started developing my own style which has changed through out the years.

When did you decided that you enjoy art and would like to pursue with it further?

I have been drawing for the most part of my life, but I was always busy with school, and work. I didn’t have enough time in the day to paint. But I did have time to sketch and draw on the Subway, on the way to work, and on the way home. What really pushed me to pursue a career as an artist was getting laid off from my cooperate job this past December. I suddenly had all the free time I needed to focus on my art.
I have been painting non stop for the last 6 months, and because of this my style has gotten much stronger. I’m really enjoying the way my work has evolved.

What are your main influences for your style of art? What is the best way to describe your style?

I think everyday life influences me. I mean I could be walking down the street and see a dog do something funny, or over hear someone say something and instantly I would get a visual for a painting. What’s the best way to describe my style? Well lets say that one crazy night Pop Art, Graffiti, and Saturday morning Cartoons had a freaky orgy, and 9 months later my style was born.

Do you have a favourite artist whose work inspires you or has influenced your art in any way?

All artists inspire me, but the two that really have influenced me are Sam Flores, and Jeff Soto. Their work is amazing. When I first came across there work I was blown away, but I did see elements that reminded me of my work.

Tell us more about the red apple character that appears in quite a few of your pieces?

Hahahah I get this a lot. Is it an apple, or is it a cherry? It’s a cherry. It’s really funny the way I stumbled into this character. One day I was eating a cup cake and thought “man cupcakes are the best, twinkies cannot even compete.” That thought inspired me to paint a samurai cupcake shooting a ninja start into a twinkie. I then started painting cupcakes, I found them really fun to paint, but the more I painted the cupcakes the more I started to like the cherries I was putting on top. Eventually I decided to take the cherry off the cupcakes head and give it the respect it deserved, and vioa, my cherry character was born.

You seem to have done pretty well so far considering your current solo show. Tell us more about your solo show Milk and Cookies and how it came about?

Well I was surfing the web one day and came across a “call for artist” ad. This bakery was looking to display food inspired art on their walls and I felt my style would make a perfect fit. I then contacted the bakery and they loved my work, and they asked if I would be interested in a solo show… of course I said yes. And that’s how that gig came about.

What has been the most fun show you have been involved in?

The most fun show I did was on April Fools day, it was called “the ball of fools.”
What I loved most about the show was that it was done on a old ship that was rescued from the bottom of the Hudson River. The entire boat was covered in rust, but that’s what gave it character, all the textures really made it so beautiful. At the bottom of the ship they had a DJ blasting trance/techno music, and we had a HUGE turn out of people. Good times…

You have some cool toys, how did you design and make them? Is this something we will be seeing more of from you in the future?

Thank you. Well I enjoy making funky characters, and it’s nice to bring them to life. Some of have sculpted, and others I have sewed out of felt.
I’m really enjoying sculpting at the moment, and have been thinking about making some of my sculptures available to the public. Give me some time, lets see what happens.

Will you be getting involved in the custom vinyl toy scene as well as I have only seen the 1 custom robo munny so far?

I love vinyl toys, and enjoy customizing them even more. I have done one munny, working on two new ones, and have customized a few dunnys.
I would love to have some of my stuff mass produced, but I’ve been thinking of making some of my own toys by hand. Something is coming soon… Keep your eyes peeled.

As an artist do you ever have an uncreative moment? If so what do you do to get that spark back?

Well it happens from time to time, but all you need to do is take a nice walk around a gallery and I’m sure the sparks will fly.
Another thing I do is carry a very small sketch book with me at ALL TIMES. When something comes to mind I do a quick sketch so that I don’t lose that thought, and when ever I need an idea I flip through my sketch book and select whatever feels right at the moment.

If you were not creating art what else would you be doing now?

That is one question I can not answer really. I need to create, it could be sewing, sculpting, making bird houses, anything crafty.
Wait… I wouldn’t mind getting paid to fish. Yeah, I said fishing, lol.

What can we expect to see from you in the future and any plans on doing a show out side of the USA?

You can expect many more paintings, a few toys, and who knows what else I’ll be into in a few years.
I would love to do a show in China, or Japan. I really love the Asian culture, they have so many great characters, and the food rocks.

If there is one memorable moment in your career that you are waiting for so you can say that you are fully satisfied with how everything has gone, what is that moment?

I had that moment the first time someone spent their hard earned money on one of my paintings. It feels great knowing that people like your stuff enough to buy it.

Finally our regular question for all artists, if there was one famous character (cartoon, comic, video game, etc) you wish you designed who would it be and why?

I wish I designed Calvin and Hobbs. Man they’re awesome, they have some of the greatest adventures, and they look pretty damn cool.

Thanks for taking part Lou and good luck with all your future projects. To see more of Lou’s work visit the Lou Pimentel website.

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