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4JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 CONTENTJanuary 2020 Vol 1FEATURES40DAVID ZINNStreet ArtistALICE HERNANDEZ-GAONAAlice’s Fine ArtKARAPET KOUYOUMJAN Wire ArtistMATTHEW O’CONNORGrati & Graphic ArtistON THE COVER: KELVIN ANDERSON, SR.Owner of World Famous VIP Records in Long Beach California10282048FOLLOW US:Facebook @creativeartistmagazineInstagram @Ocial_artistmagazineYouTube: Creative Artist Magazine
5WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMCOVER: Photo by Pauline Samuels Design by Pauline SamuelsOn the cover: Kelvin Anderson, Sr. Interviews and articles by: Pauline SamuelsLayout & Design: Pauline SamuelsEDITORIALPAULINE SAMUELSEditor in ChiefGet FREE merchandise when you sign up for all 4 issue in 2020.Release your inner artist at www.creativeartistmagazine.comCARY HEAVERLOCreative ArtistARTIST CONTACTSShare the love, visit, like, share and follow the artists65664
6JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 As we move into the new year, Creative Artist Magazine have many new and wonderful things in store for you throughout the year. You may have noticed our new look and we are now available in print. Additionally, we are partnering with several artist to create meaningful and artistic merchandise that speaks of what it means to be a creative artist.I always say that if you put the word impossible in front of a creative artist, they will assuredly add the accent and space, and create “I’m Possible” from it. Is the word selfish a bad thing? Not if you’re an artist. Street artist David Zinn (page 10), said he is a selfish artist, in that he creates his art for his own happiness. This is true of most independent artist, including myself. However, by the definition of being an artist is to create and by creating you aect and touch other peoples lives whether intentionally or unintentional. Artist Alice Hernandez-Gaona (page 28) didn’t fully embrace her talents until in her 40’s, however once she did apply paint to canvas, she was able to do extraordinary things. Even though she is no longer with us in body, her legacy of fine art will touch the lives of generations to come.I am always fascinated when I here how artist start out from emptiness and transform that space into something meaningful and magnificent. Likewise, artist will find hidden overlooked or unnoticed treasures and breath new life into them so that their beauty can be seen by others. Iconic music store owner Kelvin Anderson Sr (page 40), turned the back room of his famed record store VIP Records Long Beach into a recording studio. This became a place where unheard or independent labeled artist, could have a place to have their voice heard. Other artist that find unique ways of giving new life to things is wire artist Karapet Kouyoumjan (page 20) who search through motors of thrown out appliances to find wire and create some of the most creative figurines from them. Giving a whole new meaning to the term, “one man’s trash, is another man’s treasure”. When he’s done creating his art, it becomes everyone’s treasure. Creative artist Cary Heaverlo (page 56), couldn’t stop creating after semi-retiring in Loreto / Napolo BCS (Baja California Sur) Mexico. It seems that even in the nuisance of the date palm nuts that fell to the ground, which annoyed the locals, Cary found a way to create art as she started making flowers out of them. There is a joy that comes with being a creative artist, but like most artist will tell you, there is also a darkness that allows for the brilliant light to shine forth. As an artist myself I believe that it is necessary to release your inner madness to be able to do good with it. Artist Matthew LETTER FROM THE EDITORPauline Samuels, Editor and ArtistIsaiah 45:1-3
7WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMO’Connor (page 48), whose art style is born from graiti, creates art that holds multiple layers. Layers that must be peeled back to find the meaning and feelings he is articulating in his multi technique style of graiti art.As the editor for Creative Artist Magazine, I lose myself in the art of learning about art and the people that create art. I provide the readers with content from the artist perspective. We always personally interview each artist as it is our goal to broaden the pallet of each reader, believing that it is not enough to just see the result, but to also understand who these fascinating individuals are that create and brighten our lives with beautiful things we call art. We want you to be inspired as you read about these amazing artists, that have opened up and let us share in their lives.Although reasonable eorts are taken to ensure the accuracy of it’s published material, Creative Artist Magazine is not responsible for statement’s given to us by the artist in the published issue. Readers are advised that Creative Artist Magazine shall not be liable to any person or company for losses or damages incurred as a result of the information provided to us by the artist.CREATIVE ARTIST MAGAZINEWe are the magazine for today’s creative artistJoin our growing community of creative artist today visit us on-line www.creativeartistmagazine.comFollow, Like and Subscribe on Social Media.Thank you for sharingPauline SamuelsEditor in ChiefGet FREE merchandise when you sign up for all 4 issue in 2020.Release your inner artist at www.creativeartistmagazine.com
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11WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMDAVIDZINN“I have a good relationship with my inner child and draw things that cheer me up”
12JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 David Zinn is an artist from Ann Arbor, Michigan who describe his style of art as a creative expression that is an ephemeral parabolic anamorphosis. He went on to define each word stating that ephemeral is the art he makes that is self-destructive and is washed away by the rain. In other words, it’s not permanent. David said he owns variation to the word parabolic and called it paradolia, which he said was a universal brain phenomenon that allow people to see clouds as shapes like bunny rabbits. To put the finishing touch on his art style he added the word anamorphosis, which he described as a technical term for drawings that look 3 dimensional from a specific perspective. David’s definition will help us understand what it is he creates. All David’s drawings are flat, whether on the ground or on a wall and what give them the special appearance has a lot to do with perspective and says a lot of the credit goes to the camera. David said the camera doesn’t have the depth perception that a person does, and that the camera believes everything it sees. I asked David how he got started and he had no simple answer and oered me numerous answers, that are speckled throughout this article. David tells me that he has always been a doodler and said he believes it all started as a toddler, telling me thats when we have supreme self-confidence, that whatever we want to do is the right thing to do in any given moment. David said he learned that you cannot keep toddlers occupied for more than a few minutes, adding that you can’t give a toddler enough blank paper, because it becomes their job to make it into art. David said he believe we all start out this way, and that we can make the world dierent instead of just being in it. David and I both agreed this was a very empowering thing and time in life.David doesn’t like to think that what he makes is art and is horrified at describing himself as an artist. David says that when he sits down and says, “I am now going to make art”, he is immediately paralyzed, and nothing happens. David said, trying to make art is the worse way for him to make art.
13WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMEven though many people think that as an artist creating ephemeral art, would be a sad thing, David said he loves the fact that his art is temporary, and this is a big part of why it works for him. David said it would sadden him to see one of his creatures sitting in the same place day after day, week after week and so on. Preferring to think that they are here one day and o the next day doing something else and he likes that they come and go.David has been living in or near Ann Arbor, Michigan his entire life and added that in his town it’s a known fact that if you happen to see one of his drawings, you were in the right place at the right time. Especially since some of them only last for a few hours, making the experience between artist and audience, much more special because you may only be 1 of 6 people who saw it before the rain wash it away. This puts you in an extremely elite audience. David refers to his characters as “creatures” and said they are all improvised and done on the spot. He says that most of the creatures are only drawn once and were merely suggested by the cracks and specs on the sidewalk along his walk that day.
14JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 “UNINSPIRED BY A BLANK CANVAS”
15WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMDavid’s art has been featured in many children publication including Highlight and he has traveled to many places in and outside of the United States, some by invitation. One place in particular that David was invited to was a city that fully embraces all things art. David said that city is, Columbus Indiana. David mentioned that most people are familiar with the other Columbus in Ohio, however being invited to Columbus Indiana was a highlight in his life. In the Fall of 2017 David was invited to this beautiful town to hide his creatures and illustrations around downtown to give people an extra incentive to go out walking. The improvisation of David’s imaginary creatures popping up all around town, was most definitely a big hit and there was even a map to help you locate David’s many illustrations. Part of the genius is that David did them without any plan, but rather by letting various crack and patches of grass and whatever else his imagination discover, give a home to one of his creatures. Hearing about the beautiful community of Columbus Indiana, touched my heart and left me wanting to visit this town that held art with such high esteem. After hearing about David’s experience, I asked him who his primary target audience is. David oered me a pure and genuine answer by simply saying, he was his target audience. David said, his art is “selfish art”. He said his creatures are his imaginary friends and that he sees them all the time. As mentioned previously, David said he draws to cheer himself up. David’s reason for using crayons and chalk is not thinking to highly about what he’s doing. David explained that having the need to hold on to things is a source for anxiety and that letting things go is where you find peace, calm and acceptance. David gave us a slight opening into an audience by adding that children are all great artist, and he believes with the proper encouragement everyone in every age group could enjoy in the experience of his chalk art.“UNINSPIRED BY A BLANK CANVAS”
16JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 David said, he remembers that his brother and him use to prefer doodling on place mats, napkins and other random surfaces, trying to make art and said that a blank canvas oer no inspiration. Before stumbling into doodling as a career, David had a career as a commercial artist and illustrator creating municipal recycling guides and designing logos for local businesses as well as posters for local theater productions. He says in doing this there was never a blank canvas to be contended with because suppling logos and illustration for people was a story or a reason why you were doing what you are doing. In other words, it wasn’t making art but explaining something.When I asked David if he went to college to learn how to do his illustrations, he said not for illustration, however being from a college town it would have been strange not to attend and admits that he did acquire a degree, however not for art. When I asked him what he got his degree for, he said, he received a degree in creative writing and language. I was rather surprised that he didn’t consider creative writing to be an art form. However, he explained that the art building was located on the other side of town and his curriculum wasn’t really considered as an art degree.
17WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COM“I STUMBLED INTO DOODLING AS A CAREER
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19WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMAs for the future, David said, he would be perfectly happy doing just what he is doing right now into the future, laughing and saying, “providing his knees hold out”. That’s when I noticed that he wears knee pads when doing many of his illustrations. David did add that since his art is based on change, he feels it’s inevitable that he’ll be doing something completely dierent. I found David’s work both interesting and fascinating as I am sure you will too. David has books of his incredible street art with the most recent being “UNDERFOOT MENAGERIE, MORE STREET ART BY DAVID ZINN” as well as various merchandise that are great gifts to brighten anyone day and spark the imagination.
20JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 KARAPET KOUYOUMJAN
21WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMKARAPET KOUYOUMJANCreative POSABLE DOLLS FROM RECYCLED WIRES
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23WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMKarapet Kouyoumjan is a Los Angeles County wire artist that goes by the name Karospool. I originally found him on Instagram and was immediately drawn to his beautiful wire art. I was delighted when he said he would love to be a featured artist. After missing each other’s calls a few times, we finally made the connection. My curiosity was fully peaked as we started our interview.Karapet started by telling me that the wires he uses in his art are all recycled and are a combination of copper, aluminum and other metals. Adding that he is always on the hunt for them. When he sees a dishwasher, he recycles it. He says the motors contains lots of dierent color wires that give color to his art. Then his voice peek with excitement as he told me that finding an old vacuum cleaner was a special find for him because the motor contains up to 100 feet of wire. That’s when I just about dropped the phone. I don’t know about you, but I had no idea there was so much wire hiding in my vacuum cleaner motor.
24JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 MULTIPLE LAYERS OF TALENTADDING A NEW TWIST TO RECYCLED WIRES
25WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMWanting to slow things down a bit I asked Karapet, how he got started doing something like this? His sister told him that he was fascinated with wires as far back as 3 years old. She remembers him going outside after the telephone man was done working and collecting scrapes of colorful wires and making stick figure people out of them. Karapet said that from his memory it wasn’t until 6 years old that he flourished and really started making figures. It seemed he always had it in him to be an artist as he shared that he is also a painter and sculptor. Karapet told me that when he isn’t creating some type of artwork, he goes through withdrawals. Luckily Karapet’s wife Fiona is very supportive of her husband and his art.
26JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 Seeing how intricate laced the wires are in his work, I asked him to walk me through the process. Karapet said when he gets started with a piece of wire his mind is usually blank and he really doesn’t know what he’s going to create. He said that he starts from the bottom or the foot and works his way up and told me it’s more like a 3-D printer eect. As he continually winds up the wires over and over and slowly start to see his new figure come to life. Then he starts to fully realize what type of character it will be. He really takes his characters serious and include hinges in various location like the hand, knees, and ankles. Explaining that he wants all of them to be movable. He said that his “sti” dolls are a lot easier than his flexible dolls, but he liked adding mobility to the feet, pelvis and other areas. When he gives them to someone, he wants them to enjoy owning them and change the pose depending on how they feel. Creating his artwork is very therapeutic and he is always improving on his style by adding new things to upgrade from the last one. At times referred to his figures as “dolls” and said that no two were alike due to the intricate handcrafted technique, it would be impossible to repeat. Although sometimes he can make them similar in appearance. On average he has 4-5 figures (dolls) going at a time and doesn’t do more than that. Unlike some artist that may have unfinished work (projects), Karapet said he needs to complete all his projects to have a sense of satisfaction and doesn’t have any unfinished project lingering. Depending on how he is feeling, he goes between the few in progress before moving on to new ones. When I asked him how long it took him to make one of his dolls, he said due to the various dierence in size it was hard to say. However, he did give me one example and said something like the violist took approximately 30 hours in total time to complete and this is usually over the course of 3-4 weeks. He chuckled as he told me that he’d go mad if he sat from start to finish at once. I wanted to know what the largest figure was that he ever made, and I was shocked when he told me about a life size doll standing 5’6” tall made of steel and weighs 4 pounds. He did add that she was hollow and not fully wired up, however she had fully functioning joints in wrist, feet and other areas. He reiterated that he doesn’t want them to be stuck in any one pose. 5’6” TALL
27WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMHe’s made over a hundred dolls and some of his early work consist mostly of skeletons and are concepts.I wanted to know how I could get one of his beautiful dolls and had my eye on one doll in particular. However, I was shocked that this talented man was only doing this as a hobby and still has a day job. He says he give them to friends and would like to start selling them. With so much talent and joy for creating such beautiful works of art, they should be available to consumers. Being so fascinated with his unique imagination for creating his dolls out of things found even bullet shells found on the floor of a shooting range. I could feel the passion in his voice as he told me about the sense of gratitude, he had for being able to give new life to things discarded.
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29WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMALICE HERNANDEZ-GAONAAlice’s Fine Art
30JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 A lice Hernandez-Gaona created a gallery full of her beautiful oil paintings before losing her battle with ovarian cancer. From the moment Alice started painting, she knew she had found the thing she was here to do. It seems that Alice inherited the artist gene from her father Alfred Hernandez who was also an artist. Alice leaves a legacy of her fine art works with her husband Phil, who invited me into their home and took me on a journey that I will always cherish and remember. My message to Phil was that his beautiful wife Alice leaves a legacy that touch other people’s lives far beyond her own. It seems Alice’s spirit was watching over Phil and I even before coming to their home. It started while on the phone when suddenly a beautiful yellow butterfly fluttered by me on the second floor of my home oice. I made mention to Phil that I just saw a bright yellow butterfly, when Phil said he saw a yellow butterfly at that exact moment. This connection to Alice continued and, on the day, I arrived at their home again we were visited by a single yellow butterfly.As I entered their beautiful home, I noticed several of Alice’s masterful works of art on display as far as my eyes could see. After settling in and unpacking my recording equipment, Phil pointed to a picture on the wall by the door. I turned to see and was completely captivated by the brilliant yellow colors reflecting from the painting. Phil asked me if I noticed the cross that is reflecting in the water. I said yes. Phil told me that this painting had a significant impact on him because of the unintentional cross reflecting in the water and it was also one of Alice’s last finished pieces before passing away.
31WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMAs we sat to conduct our interview, I could feel how painful it was for Phil as he started sharing details of Alice’s life and her work. Phil said that Alice did a lot of landscapes, but her specialty was still life art that was reminisced of the renaissance period. This style of art is called “chiaroscuro” which means light and dark, which is the contrast that gives volume and definition to a subject. This is the style you can see in painting by such artist as Rembrandt and Leonardo di Vinci. Phil stated that Alice’s style was influenced by her teacher, famed artist David Leel, and that she truly admired him. In fact, David even worked with Alice in the space we were currently occupying.
32JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 As Alice’s husband Phil took me around her home studio, he told me that he left everything as she left it. Looking around, it was as if time stood still as Phil beckoned me over to the unfinished painting she was working on before she passed away. It was of one of her favorite props, that of a horse located next to what look like a shadow box. It was then that Phil showed me a picture and said that she was so passionate about her art that she would come in even while on hospice with tubes in her and in pain still wanting to paint. Phil told me that Alice was truly a dedicated artist even stretching her own canvas, using brass nails and rabbit skin glue. Being authentic to the style of art she painted was also something that Alice took pride in.
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34JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 HOME IS...
35WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMPhil took me out to the back yard, which had a crystal clear swimming pool, however what caught my attention was a beautiful table set for two and one of Alice’s paintings on metal on the stucco wall (pictured above). Like most of the pictures Phil showed me, it had a beautiful story to go with it. Phil said it was a missed chance to replicate his and Alice’s first date, and as Phil put it, before he knew she was a Rembrandt in training, which gave way to a thoughtful smile from Phil. I could feel how proud he was of his beautiful wife and her amazing talent. I could see him fight through the emotions as he shared the details of this missed opportunity to dine with her here again.Where the Heart is.
36JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 As we continued, Phil pointed to a large shelf filled with various props and artifacts. Phil said that this was Alice’s muse for many of her paintings. The whole experience had a surreal feeling to it. It was as if I could feel Alice’s spirit as we walked around the room she used as her home studio. Then the pace slowed as there was a beautiful silence in the room as I stared at the area around her unfinished last piece. As I took time to notice all the little details of various things that surrounded the area. Phil noticed me staring at the book by David Leel laying on the table to the right side of the canvas and said that there was a lot of David’s influences in the things that Alice painted. I could tell that this was diicult for Phil and at the same time it seemed to be very therapeutic and I asked him if I could take a picture of the area. With his permission I took the pictures that you see here in the magazine.Now that I had my camera in my hand, Phil once again took me to the shelf and oered some of the details to the props and artifacts by adding that they were things that she acquired all over the world on her many travels. Phil pointed to them sharing where each one was from by telling me the decanters were from Egypt, pots from France, and that some of the other artifacts where from China and Japan as he pointed to the Terra cotta warriors and the Tang horses. Phil said the Tang horses were especially favorites of Alice’s and that I could see them in her paintings displayed throughout their home.As we continued our interview, I noticed Phil sadness turn to pride as he boasted about his wife’s beautiful paintings. It seemed showing o Alice’s painting was therapeutic for Phil, as he would shift us down memory lane sharing all the interesting facts about her paintings. Phil pointed to a painting an told me that it was a place that they would visit at Crystal Cove. Phil told me that this picture was special because the whole place is being renovated and her picture captured a moment in time. Adding this is unique because he still runs there along that beach and sees the house now fully renovated brings back memories of his and Alice’s jogs along that beach. Phil was calm and yet filled with emotions as he pulled out another painting and gave me more wonderful stories. Each painting had a story as Phil filled me in on the various details behind many of Alice’s paintings. Then as if to prepare me for our journey, Phil, said Alice’s painting were oil-based paint and that she did landscapes and portraits of things and pictures that she saw and sometimes adding her own touch to them by changing colors or entire backgrounds. While at other times she simply painted from her own imagination. This was a unique experience for me as it wasn’t just seeing the paintings but also understanding the reason for the paintings that gave me a greater understanding of the cause and the eect of them. Left- Crystal Cove house where Phil & Alice would see on while jogging.Right- Sunset picture is one of Alice last finished pieces, positioned by the front door.
37WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMThe post card that Alice told Phil she could paint when they first started dating. Below is her proof. What’s ironic is the message on the post card, which reads, “It’s lonely without you!”
38JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 Alice painted several angels and took part in a fundraiser in which she donated funds to the Queen of Hearts Foundation to help bring awareness to ovarian cancer the silent killer of women. Part of why it’s so deadly is late detection. By the time Alice was aware she had the deadly disease she was close to stage 4, which is when the cancer invades a major organ. Although going through an aggressive and invasive surgery that removed her uterus, spleen, ovaries along with chemotherapy Alice lost her battle with this deadly disease and passed away at home on June 6, 2017 at just 54 years old.Alice had a keen eye and often painting things that were just around the house. Turning them into a masterful work of art. As was the case with a beautiful cloth and an empty bottle of Grand Marnier
39WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMPhil said the next thing was to get Alice’s work recognized. Phil knew that each year Laguna Beach held an art festival, that you could get your work juried in. This is when they select an artist to be on display. Phil said that once again, Alice really didn’t think her work was good enough and decided to wait.Shortly there after, Alice’s work started getting noticed in the art community and she started receiving ribbons and recognitions for her paintings. Alice then got juried in at the famed Laguna Beach Art Festival. According to Phil, that’s when things took o for Alice and her confidence in her work was peeked, and she decided to paint full time.Taking this all in, I asked Phil how this all started? Phil said that he and Alice started dating in 2005 and while out Alice saw a picture and said, “I can do this”. That’s when Phil once again showed me the reference picture and the resulting painting which made the whole experience even more surreal for me (page 37). Phil said that after seeing that she had such a natural gift for painting, he had to ask her, why wasn’t she pursuing this as a career. Phil explained that prior to painting, Alice was in oice supply sales. He told Alice this is what you should be doing, as he referred to her paintings. Phil told me that when the economy took a dive in 2006 and many of Alice’s big contract were reduced, is when Alice decided to take Phil’s advice and started painting more. Phil tells me that in the beginning Alice had a very modest opinion regarding painting for a living. However, with Phil support and encouragement she embarked on a journey of a lifetime by fully engulfing herself into painting.
40JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 KELVIN ANDERSON SRFrom VIP RECORDS TOWORLD FAMOUS VIP RECORDS
41WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMKelvin Anderson Sr. Owner of the World-Famous VIP Records is most assuredly a legend in the music industry. He is also someone I call friend. On the day of our interview as I set up to do a series of videos and record the interview for this article, it hit me, just who I was about to sit down and interview. Knowing Kelvin as I do you see a mentally sharp and strategic masterpiece all wrapped in a quiet and humbled man. Kelvin is a good listener and a very strategic talker. As Kelvin starts our interview, he wastes no time taking me right to the beginning, sharing the fact that he is 1 of 10 children born and raised in Brandon Mississippi with as he put it, the greatest parents on earth. There are 6 boys and 4 girls he proudly told me. The family pride continued as he said they grew up on a farm, had good values, was hardworking and was known for being good people in the community. They were raised in a Christian home and wasn’t exposed to music, fighting, drinking or smoking. In other words, he said, he lived in the perfect home.(L-R) Kelvin Anderson & Cletus Anderson founder of VIP Records
42JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 Tyrese Gibson and LaTasha Anderson-Bell Kelvin Anderson Sr, RZA, Warren G and other artist during a photo shoot.Statue of Ice Cube at VIP Records in Long Beach, CA Willie D of the Geto Boys with Kelvin Anderson Sr.
43WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMKelvin had more photos then we have pages and shared many of them with us. Including artist he help inuence over the years.Kelvin credits DJ Sir Jinx with helping him set up the famous recording studio at VIP Records Long Beach.Follow us on social media to see what he had to say about many of the artist pictured here in our one on one video interview.Photo op with LL Cool JLow rider photo is from the now famous Snoop Dogg video that was partially lmed on the roof of VIP Records Long Beach, CA, entitled “What’s My Name”(Opposite page)Kelvin says that many artist got their start or was inuenced at VIP Records Long Beach including artist from Warren G’s 213, which included Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg . Likewise DJQuik was inuenced to pursue his rap career.
44JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 Kelvin said he graduated high school in May of 1972 and a few years prior to that, his older brother Cletus moved to Los Angeles, where he opened a record store in Compton California. Kelvin said he already had it planned to follow his older brother after graduating high school. Laughing as he told me, prior to that he had dreams of becoming a long-distance truck driver so he could see America. However, as destiny would have it, Kelvin continues the story by telling me that two days after graduating high school, he boarded a 6AM flight out of Jackson Mississippi and landing in Los Angeles California at around 10AM PST. Kelvin story started to move about as fast as his life as he told me, that his brother picked him up at the airport, took him to breakfast, stopped at the house to drop o his bags and by 1PM Kelvin was already working in his brother Cletus record store. Kelvin and I both took a breather after that. As we resumed our interview Kelvin told me that his whole life changed in the span of 6 hours. From the farm in the country to the bricks and concrete of the big city. This was only 2 minutes into our interview. I knew I was in for an adventure with some of which would be included in this article. With the amazing life that Kelvin has lived thus far it would take an entire book to tell all of it.As we continued once again, it was apparent that Kelvin’s hardworking ethics were about to pay o, as he told me he worked and learned from his big brother Cletus for the next 7 years. He starting in the stock room and mopping the floors to being the general manager for 12 locations. I told him this was genius of his brother and that’s what set him up to being so knowledgeable in the industry, learning from the bottom to the top. On we went to the subject of VIP Long Beach, when Kelvin told me it was his brother Cletus opened VIP Long Beach, in June 1978 and 6 months later in January 1979 he (Kelvin) purchased it from his brother. Kelvin and I had a good laugh as we both said, “40 year”! After sharing in the realization that he has owned VIP Records Long Beach for the last 40 years, we both enjoyed a long sigh and a comfortable moment of silence.I asked Kelvin to share some of the details that launched VIP Records as the place to be for music. Kelvin said the name, VIP Records was a household name in and around the Los Angeles area prior to opening VIP Records Long Beach, however it was after the now famous video by Snoop Dogg that gave way to the “World Famous VIP Records”. Snoop Did a video on the roof of VIP Long Beach and that video was seen all over the world adding a layer of International fame to VIP. Kelvin said before the Snoop Video they were well known for breaking in new artist and they sold a lot of merchandise.Kelvin went on to say that many artist’s first stop on the west coast was VIP Records to show how things flowed in the west coast. In a word they would teach and break down how to conduct themselves. When I asked him was this before the whole Snoop video, he replied, “this was before rap”. Kelvin said VIP was a major influence in the industry of jazz, gospel, blues, reggae and R&B.With their in-store player ability, Kelvin said he could listen to a record and immediately tell you how many he could sell, because he was so aware of his customer base. He said people wanted to buy what they heard on the radio and it was important for them to know what all the radio stations were playing. Customers would come in wanting what they heard on the radio and the minute they walked in, they got brain freeze. Kelvin was good at digging it out of them. That’s when I told him, I had been one of those people many times over in the twenty plus years that I’ve known him. I call him the record store psychic. Kelvin said he enjoys being able to connect with his customers like this. I mentioned that Kelvin was the Google of music before they existed. All you had to do was give Kelvin a few keywords and he would provide you with your answer. He had to wear many hats to relate to his customers. Sometimes he wore his reggae hat for his Rasta people or his blues hat for his down-home people. With pride in his voice he says, that
45WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMVIP Records was without a doubt the best in the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and into the 2000’s as far as being able to sell music and break in new and independent artist. Kelvin said that lots of record stores learned from them especially the large chain stores. I commended Kelvin for going from mopping the floors to working his way to the top in 7 years qualifying him with a PhD in the music industry and marketing.Those 7 years set him up and he was fortunate enough to have Carte Blanche when he purchased VIP Records Long Beach in 1979, with all the major record labels. He was a trusted source in the industry because he was known for taking care of business for his brother. He had an open line of credit along with marketing and promotion money. The relationships he built in the industry, while working for his brother was carried over to his business and this helped him considerably. Most independent record stores didn’t get or receive what the major chains store did, however he was able to get a lot of the same treatment that the major chain stores got with regards to support from record labels.Knowing what was being played on the radio was huge and that if someone came in inquiring about something they heard on the radio, he was able to satisfy that need as well as provide them with a similar independent artist that wasn’t getting air play. Kelvin was and still is good at finding what your like and opening a whole new world for you with an artist you didn’t even know existed. Again, I go back to saying that Kelvin was a computer before we were all using them. I can remember walking out the door with a handful of tracks, when I just came in for one and feeling good about it. Kelvin’s voice has a genuine smooth and attentive tone in it that is backed up by a library of music knowledge that you know you can trust. He says he gets his passion because there are thousands of super talented artists out there that most people will never get to hear, just listening to top 20 or 40 playlists. All Kelvin does is give people what they want…variety and a broader palette of appreciation.Kelvin said a big part of his success was the same reason his brother Cletus was able to accomplish so much was by having real good help. By him running things for Cletus, it allowed him to really get involved with the recording industry and he remembers Cletus recorded the first Ice-T tracks and working with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. He said Cletus also use to pick up Dr. Dre and take him to the studio where he would mix on various projects. Cletus was able to build these kinds of relationship, because he had good help at the shop. Likewise, Kelvin said his eldest daughter LaTasha did that for him. Having her take care of business at the shop, really propelled him in the industry.
46JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 Kelvin had enough awards, plaques, commendations, proclamations and recognitions to ll this entire magazine. The marketing genius of VIP Records, sold millions of records for all the major record labels.
47WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMKelvin said it was being able to participate in conventions and various industry meetings that put him in the industry spotlight, . Kelvin spoke of going to Def Jam records in New York every three month just to sit down and listen to their new releases and hear their marketing promotions. Additionally, Kelvin would meet with the music man himself Mr. Clive Davis and Sean P-Diddy Combs who Kelvin referred to as Puy to discuss their upcoming releases and promotional campaigns. Kelvin reiterated that all of this was only possible because of good help at the shop and said his son Kelvin Jr. who is a good friend of mine too, was an intracule part of helping also.Many other family members were part of the VIP Brand that made it a success like his brother David, Glenn, Timothy, his baby sister Lisa who owned a couple of stores herself, all accomplished a lot over the years. It is a fact, the VIP Brand made a HUGE impact in the music industry, Los Angeles and west coast music market. Although it didn’t all start with VIP Long Beach, they are the only store still open.Presented to Kelvin Anderson, Sr., VIP Recordsto commemorate the sale ofOver 11,000,000 Death Row Records
48JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 MATT O’CONNOR2nd Place for Hurley Art ShowWhile Matt was still in high school(See story on page 55)LAYERS OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION
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50JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 Matthew O’Connor is a 27- year- old upcoming artist out of Huntington Beach, California, and is the proud son of Jerey and Gayle O’Connor. Matt’s tone was mellow as we started our conversation. Listening to the details of his life, fascinated me, his young life has already taken him on a lifetime journey of trials and triumphs that looking back, Matt said he was glad for them. Matt says that his artistic style is born out of graiti. He added that he wanted to escape his reality and that graiti was the perfect escape for him to express himself at the time because he was going through a lot of things personally. Matt said that doing graiti art brought him where he is today, some of it good and some not so good.While in high school fate caught up to him and he was arrested and ended up going to jail. Matt says the worse part of this was that he was finally starting to get better. By going to jail, he missed his opportunity to do a legal wall, that is he had the owner’s permission.Going to jail gave him a chance to re-think his life and make some important and necessary changes. Members of his crew went and did the wall and left a spot for him. however, Matt said, when he was released from jail, he wasn’t financially able or ready to fill his spot on the wall. Knowing the right thing to do first was to pay o all his fines and restitutions. Matt said, he really learned a hard lesson and regret putting his parents through so much pain.Finally being able to go back to the wall was a surreal feeling for him. I asked him to describe it to me and he said just knowing that he could be carefree and that he had permissions to do his own personal style of art (graiti). As Matt continued to tell me the story of painting the wall, I could feel an intense feeling of pride in his voice. knowing that he had taken care of all of his
51WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMMy artistic style was born out of graitifinancial responsibilities was part of the surreal feeling he was experiencing.Matt is now able to shows o his work in art galleries and does murals for businesses. He is applying those hard lessons and moving his life in a positive direction.Turning your life around seems to be the theme I hear as I interview him. Learning that Matt have a twin sister and how he is a living organ donor, especially touched my heart about this aspiring young artist.
52JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 SELF PORTRAITMatt says that “Self Portrait” was an assignment for one of his classes and is an abstract of himself. Matt went on to explain that it was to show dierent pieces of him. The ones that people don’t always get to see. Then he added to this explanation by saying, when you meet someone you get the first layer, after you’ve known then for a while longer, you get to the second layer, and only after you’ve been in and around them for a really long time do you get to know that third layer. In his portrait, he used a clear coat that he added scratches inked in that were blocked by the other layers so that you couldn’t initially see it but had to work your way through dierent parts to get to it. Matt said that you really had to tear back the layer in order to get to know him as some of the scratches were deep and show some of the struggles in his life along with other things that were hard for him. Matt said, he is an introvert and felt that by creating this type of self-portrait, you get to see more of him than if he just drew or painted a portrait of himself. Let us know what you think?
53WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMOne of Matt’s biggest influences was his high school art teacher, who was also his neighbor growing up. Reuniting with him while in high school had a huge impact on the course that Matt’s life would take. Matt said that most teacher wouldn’t allow you to investigate graiti in art. However, his teacher helped show him how to add an artistic layer to it (graiti). This teacher (also named Matt), introduced him to screen printing and oil painting. Matt said that he gives this teacher credit for creating one of Matt’s favorite pieces to this day and is currently hanging in Matt’s dad’s oice. Matt did this for a Hurley Art Show and took home 2nd place! This is especially significant because it was the first time that Matt submitted any art for a contest. Matt says he included layer upon layer of what he learned when creating it that included screen printing, painting, drawing with wheat paste and utilizing so many other techniques. The excitement coming from Matt’s voice was beautiful to hear from this usually very mellow communicator. I asked Matt to tell me a little about his work in the gallery. He says it was while attending the California State University Long Beach, that he and his best friend applied and wrote a program to be featured in the student gallery. It’s a little like being juried in to display your work. This piece was there way of showing the many layers of where they came from and taking the viewing audience on their journey.Matt says that “Timeout” is showing part of his youth being spent in jail and the innocence lost. Like most of Matt’s art you must really look close to see all the details included. For instance, in this piece Matt included actual things from his arrest. Look closely and you’ll see various things like his booking number, court case, documents and other things associated with that time in his life.timeoutrack & return
54JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 While on my phone interview with Matt, I looked through the images he sent and asked him to tell me about them. We started with the picture of the pizzeria. Matt said he calls that one St. Geezs, and it was a local pizza shop, the St. George’s Pizza. I told Matt I was very familiar with it and in fact have eaten there several times. Matt and I both chuckled and said, “small world”. Matt said he use to work there, and remembers that initially he didn’t want that job. Looking back, it was one of the best things that could happen to him. Matt took the job at the urging of his mother Gayle O’Connor, who was friends with the owners. Since he was now in a situation that included flunking out of Jr college and just moved back from Seattle, his choice was limited. Matt said he started working for a man named, George, who he described as having a New York style accent, funny, full of energy and one of the most hardworking people he’s ever known. Then our story got interesting as the real story comes out about the St. George Pizza picture as Matt story seems to move in slow motion. Matt says while working there one day this beautiful girl walked in and while admiring her, he hears George say, “hey Georgie”, that’s when he realized, that’s the boss’s daughter. He says she started being there everyday and then she stopped coming in. Matt said not seeing her made him sad and he had to be part of her life. He says he asked her dad’s permission to date Georgie and from that time forward they have been together. Matt says having her in life was another huge game changer. Once again, the shift in Matt’s voice was filled with excitement as he tells me, that due to Georgie encouragement, he went back to college. First Golden West Community college and then transferring to California State University Long Beach and graduating and additionally obtaining his BFA in drawing and painting which is a specific degree for which he had to apply for the program and get accepted. Matt says again that Georgie was his inspiration for making this all happen. Matt says she is a nurturing nurse and is stronger than anyone he’s ever known.
55WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMAs I zoomed in to look at the images entitled the “908”, I noticed something very familiar on the left, it was the image of the man on the cover of this magazine, the World-Famous VIP Records. Obviously, I needed all the details. Matt tells me that this was a wall mural painting for a restaurant in Long Beach. Matt’s passion to satisfy his clients came across as he told me, that not being from Long Beach he really wanted to give the client what they spoke about in the consultation that included historical things in Long Beach. Matt said he asked friends from the area, interviewed several people that included professors in order to give an accurate depiction for his client.Matt’s passion seemed to intensify as he described the next two paintings of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands as he tells me that these two paintings coincided with a class, he was taking on Native American History. Matt said growing up near the area and hanging out there on the hiking trails was especially important to him as he noticed how much the Wetlands changed in his lifetime. He wanted to show the old titans (as he called them) and the new. Matt said he went on site to paint both paintings to be as accurate as possible.Matt’s story touched my heart so much because it’s good to hear others who endure tough times and find a way to use the lessons learned in a positive way. Matt is a powerful example of just that. If you need murals and are looking for some of his style art, contact this brilliant young artist. He really goes all out to satisfy his clients.
56JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 Cary HeaverloCREATIVE ARTISTCREATIVE ARTIST
57WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMCary Heaverlo“Life is good here and I know there are more chapters in my life story”
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59WWW.CREATIVEARTISTMAGAZINE.COMC Photo: Cary HeaverloVolunteering their talents:Ken created the bags & Cary embroidered the apron (opposite page)
60JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 “Painted my first oilpainting at 5o”
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64JANUARY 2020 VOL. 1 KARAPET KOUYOUMJANIG: karoscreations DAVID ZINNdszinn@me.com-----------------------www.zinnart.comwww.facebook.com/davidzinnillustrationhttp://instagram.com/davidzinntwitter.com/davidzinn_artvideo: youtu.be/7LwfCEkMqEwMATTHEW O’CONNORInstagram: miggity_mattWebsite: matthewgarthoconnor.comThumbtack: Miggity Matt’s Art and Murals Email: moconnor1992@yahoo.com KELVIN ANDERSON, SR.VIP Records Long Beach, CAVIPLB@AOL.COM(562) 591-2349IG: oicialviplbFacebook: @VIPLongBeachALICE HERNANDEZ-GAONAwww.alicesfineart.comCARY HEAVERLOFacebook: Cary Heaverlo
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