Jeff Dekal
Jeff has always been intrigued by comic and video game art and for a long time this was the only kind of imagery he emulated in his drawings. It was when he discovered graffiti in high school that his art was given a kind of purpose. Then after taking his first art history and figure drawing classes in college, he was introduced to the more realistic style and subject matter that are prevalent in his art today.
Jeff majored in painting at his university but found out about concept art and Photoshop on his own time. He was amazed by the digital painting process of creation that was utilized in this field. Jeff immediately began experimenting with it and now he can’t see himself ever not using these tools. Jeff is currently doing freelance illustration for entertainment companies, independent music artists, and any other patrons that seek him out and offer projects that he can take an interest in.
DUBELYOO
Internationally known as the “Art Bishop”, DUBELYOO is renowned for his bold use of eye popping colors in works which focus on women of color and Hip Hop. His paintings and illustrations fuse bright color, mixed media, and computer based art to achieve strongly sculpted visions. DUBELYOO’S art is a true representation of his era. His sketches and paintings reflect the diverseness of urban culture with worldwide social relevance.
DUBELYOO’S work appears in the 2006 full-length motion picture, ATL, directed by Chris Robinson. His work is also featured in the 2008 music video for Grammy award winner Alicia Keys’ single, Teenage Love Affair. While it is his first love, DUBELYOO takes his creativity beyond the canvas to design clothing and outerwear, and to provide custom art for apparel. The ‘Atlanta’ shoe by popular shoemaker, Converse, is designed by the Art Bishop, himself.
Since early 2000, DUBELYOO’S mission is to bring the wow factor back to art. In his premiere exhibit, My Uzi Weighs a Ton, DUBELYOO features paintings and illustrations which examine America’s fascination with firearms. His most recent project is Art, Beat’s + Lyrics; a popular art exhibit which DUBELYOO co-created and produces. In 2008, AB+L partnered with liquor brand, Jack Daniels, to produce one of the nation’s largest, urban art exhibits. DUBELYOO and Art, Beats, & Lyrics are currently touring across the country. In his everyday efforts to “convert the wack”, the Art Bishop shares tips, commentary and experiences through his popular blog site, www.dubelyoo.net.
DUBELYOO is a student of his craft and received a BFA in Communications Arts from East Carolina University. He regularly lectures at high schools and colleges, giving art students an inside glimpse of the life of a professional artist and sharing his strong belief in artistic independence as the path to true artistic freedom.
DRES13
DRES13 was born a first generation American into a Brazilian family in 1981, André Greppi, aka Dres13 lives and works in Orlando, Florida. Currently an art director at an Orlando advertising agency, André also freelances as an artist and illustrator and is one of Orlando’s more recognizable, emerging street artists. With influences ranging from comic book illustration to graffiti writing and typographic design, his visual style can range from purely illustrative to a graphic blend of type elements and hand drawn illustrations resulting in a unique form of visual art that makes his work easily identifiable. DRES13′s work is available for purchase and viewing, anytime through the gallery.
Helena Garcia
Raised in South Florida with a BFA in Illustration from Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Helena Garcia creates illustrations consisting of brightly colored characters that mainly consist of animals to little girls with funny haircuts and everything in between. Her focal inspirations come from pop Japanese aesthetics, cartoons from the 60’s and vintage design. Helena has illustrated for the Girl Scouts of the USA, Bitch Magazine, Bust Magazine and The Utne Reader.
When not busy trying to take over the world, she enjoys baking, playing Nintendo and napping with her chihuahua, Kiko.
Daniel Fila
Daniel Aaron Fila, 28, holds a B.F.A from Columbus College of Art and Design. With over a decade of working experience, this Miami native currently works and resides in his hometown. His formal training began early, and attending magnet school in downtown Miami gave him a street level exposure to urban culture. This evoked many artistic responses. The intrigue, originality, urgency, and danger surrounding street art became a central element in his development as an Artist. This influence remains an integral part of his work today.
He started a freelance enterprise at the age of 22. While Daniel views commercial art as a means to his end, he never fails to deliver an element of fine art in the projects he accepts. This approach has been well received by those who have contracted him. Notable brands such as The Adrienne Arsht Center, MTV, The Ritz Carlton, and Greyhound have licensed Daniel’s work.
Fila gained notoriety with his provocative 2003 “Erin” mural, a 13-foot, posterior-view nude that graces the east wall of Oppenheim Architecture in the heart of Miami’s Design District. Under the banner of “Krave Art”, Daniel has engaged in work that empowers him as he ventures into the Art arena with exuberance. Fila’s work can be best described as passion unparalleled, devotion unequivocal, and talent that flows from ancient channels beyond anyone’s control.
Jeremy Nichols
Jeremy Nichols (Raskoe) holds a B.F.A. in printmaking from The Ohio State University. His interest in graffiti and skateboarding brought him into the art world. Originally born in Tokyo, Japan, the artist now resides in Portland, Oregon where he is a freelance artist/designer.
In his artwork, he tries to show the near future of environments, space, humans, and animals as well as their attachment to material, and technological advances in their quest to achieve fulfillment through their artificial reality. He also tries to express the figure’s psychological and sociological interactions with in their environment in a surreal manner. The figures in his images demonstrate their own search for clarity, direction, or even one’s self, yet often tend to follow the leader as they float in space.
Alex Yanes
Born Alejandro Enrique Yanes in 1977 in Miami, Florida. Alex Yanes discovered the art of drawing and painting at a very early age, winning first place in the Dade County Youth Fair for a crayon drawing of the Easter bunny on a skate board, at the age of six. Years later while attending the International Fine Arts College in Downtown Miami as a graphic design student; Yanes began painting consistently in 1998. After exhibiting at Club Tantra and The Marlin Hotel on South Beach in 2000, Miami’s “trendy” crowd began to take notice of Alex’s talent. Yanes’ work is influenced by the graffiti and tattoo culture of the late 80’s and early 90’s. “My generation was raised on cartoons, graffiti and tattoos, it’s what we consider fine art”; stated Yanes at Unbreak Miami’s cultural event, where he displayed his latest work.
Along with vivid colors, Alex Yanes uses bold outlines to define his intricate figures. His most recent works are mixed media, three dimensional images. This process consists of drawing then cutting the image out of masonite board using a jig saw. Once they are cut, the individual pieces of the puzzle are sanded and painted using a mixture of acrylic, spray enamel and air brush. Finally, the pieces are attached to a background in multiple layers, revealing the completed painting. This approach enables the artist to achieve a “Pop out book” type of effect on a much larger scale. “My Father and Grandfather taught me how to use power tools when I was a kid. I built skateboard ramps and tree house forts, I’m very grateful for that. It’s very fulfilling to incorporate what they taught me into my art, all these years later.”
In early 2007, Yanes was asked to design one of his three dimensional Japanese Koi fish for The Learning Channel’s hit show “Miami Ink”. It was a perfect combination and before he knew it, Alex’s paintings were used as a backdrop on the television program; gaining him worldwide exposure. This opportunity opened more doors for the artist. In mid 2007 Yanes teamed up with DIG Communications and the Damian B. Contemporary Art Center of Miami to launch Emmi Café’ Latte’s United States campaign. The artist decorated two refrigerators with his artwork to mark the coffee’s U.S. debut. The refrigerators traveled throughout South Florida and were later auctioned off at the product launch party.
After a successful exhibition at the Antikulture Gallery during Miami’s yearly Art Basel event, Alex Yanes became busier than ever. In February 2008, Yanes along with Boston native graffiti artist “FIFTYTHREE” opened the Alternate Space Gallery in Miami’s historic Coconut Grove. With two commissioned paintings for Red Bull energy drink, a commissioned painting for the Florida Keys Diving Museum and dual art exhibitions with world renowned St. Louis stencil graffiti artist Peat Wolleager in San Francisco, California and Melbourne, Australia; Yanes never stops. In December of 2009 Alex introduced his Publix Supermarkets 2009 calendar titled “Majestic Beauty”. Yanes replaced Romero Britto’s family themed calendars with his own take on South Florida by bringing awareness to an important environmental concern. Well received with an overwhelming demand, Yanes’ calendar consisting of twelve endangered species native to South Florida has been used by teachers throughout the state to educate children about the fragile ecosystem that surround us all. Currently, all of the original paintings featured in the calendar along with seven installation pieces are on display at the Miami Children’s Museum, with the Museum adding four of the pieces to their permanent collection. Since the opening of his exhibit at the Miami Children’s Museum, Alex has been commissioned by Publix Supermarkets once again to create the 2010 Art Calendar. This upcoming calendar will consist of endangered species from all over the world with more illustratively detailed renditions of the animals. In August 2009, Alex Yanes became an artist in residency at the Bakehouse Art Complex where his new studio is located. “I live for my family, my art and all of the joy and stress that comes with it. I won’t stop creating until my ideas stop flowing and right now I’ve got too many to keep track of.”