We have been talking about 826LA for some time now, especially since our special collaboration of wallets we did with young authors of 826LA and top notch artists of Los Angeles. 826LA is a non-profit writing workshop and tutoring center for youth ages 6-18. That is the heart of the organization, but, it’s partly fueled by the storefront, The Echo Park Time Travel Mart. We stopped in to say hi and get some more info about their amazing store and all the goodies they sell.

Hi Christina! You are the store manager over at 826LA’s Time Travel Mart. Tell us a bit about what you do there.

Hi! As the manager of the Echo Park Time Travel Mart it’s my job to make sure we are stocked with great merchandise from the past and the future and for folks coming from the past or future looking to blend in LA, 2008. I am also in charge of events, so I organize in-store events like Dead Author Readings and fundraisers like the 826LA Echo Park Paddle Boat Regatta.

What is the ideas behind the Time Travel Mart? Why did you guys choose that theme?

LA is such a car culture and travel marts are ubiquitous, so, it was a natural conclusion… The Echo Park Time Travel Mart is a leader in convenience retailing and sells everything you need before you take a road trip through the fourth dimension. Literally behind the Time Travel Mart is 826LA a non-profit writing and tutoring center for kids 6-18.

Tomorrow’s News…. Yesterday’s News from Poketo on Vimeo.

What would one find at the Time Travel Mart? Tell us about some of the products that you have at the Time Travel Mart. What are some of your favorites, what are some best sellers and why do you think people love them?

You can grab time-machine fuel, a can of mastodon meat, and a souvenir t-shirt in one quick stop. We have some great interactive components; a community bulletin board with postings from all eras, a time travel office where you can get your “pastport” picture taken and a “SPECIALTIES” window that peeks into the tutoring lab. My favorites are robot milk, chauffeur wax and I am obsessed with one of our new fragrances called Studio 54. Our best seller is definitely viking odorant. I think in this economy - even if all the proceeds go directly to 826LA programming - it is easier for people to spend their money on something useful. I try to make sure that we always have a good assortment of useful products in addition to the novelty items, toys and books.

826LA also has a Venice location. The new, second location in Echo Park is amongst some really great places…. The Echo, Downbeat Cafe, El Prado Bar, and soon to be open Stories book shop and Out of the Closet store. How do you like being in Echo Park, tell us about the energy, the kids, the people discovering The Time Travel Mart for the first time. Any funny anecdotes for people coming into 826 and wondering what is going on??

Echo Park is an amazing neighborhood with a rich history. It’s a great blend of families and young singles. I often run into the kids (from after-school) with their families when I am running errands on Sunset Blvd. It really is a community in every sense of the word. It’s exciting to be a part of the energy that permeates everything around here these days. We get a lot of inquisitive folks when it comes to the Time Travel Mart. We get asked a lot if it’s an art installation or if the stuff is actually for sale. We are happy to say that we are here to stay and it’s all for sale! - except for the tutoring, that’s free.

You guys have an amazingly crazy storefront, window display with a caveman and robot shaking hands. It looks so great and very lifelike. Tell us a bit about that. How you came up with the design and executed such craziness.

We were very fortunate that Bad Robot (JJ Abrams Production company) offered to do our window display. When we told them that it was our dream to have a museum like diorama with a caveman a robot shaking hands to commemorate the historic peace treaty between cavemen and robots, they obliged. The installation is a collective effort, the Caveman and Robot were designed at Bad Robot and built by the prop builder who does Star Trek. The rest was installed by me and Amy Martin.

The support from the community is amazing. What other fun things do you have coming up that has not yet been realized? We’re always on the look out for new product and new collaborations.

I am very excited about our next collaboration because it’s also a fundraiser. We asked Amy Martin (Amy designed our popular Time Travel Posters) to design a letter press holiday card and then we found Christine from Flora and Fauna Press to print it. The cards will sell in pack of 5 for $15.99, but you can also buy them individually as holiday donation cards. So, you specify the amount and give us the information and we will send the card to the recipient with something along the lines of “a donation has been made in your name to 826LA for $____. After that, it’s a line of clocks designed by David Byrne, Spike Jonze and Tucker Nichols! And 2009 brings us the launch of a monthly 826LA curated variety show called Tiny Vaudeville!

Wow, that sounds so exciting!! Does the Time Travel Mart help fund the afterschool tutoring and workshops for youth that happen at 826LA? How important is the store to your organization?

The store is very important in that it sets a tone. The kids pass through this amazingly creative space into the tutoring lab, which is another exceptional space where they are expected to complete their homework and work on creative projects. All of the proceeds from the store go directly to support the organization.

We just did the Poketo + 826LA, When Wallets Eat Words wallet collaboration. It was so much fun! What other collaborations have you done? What else is in the works? How do these collabs come about? Are you looking for them or do they happen naturally?

We love the wallets and were so excited to see them come to life! We feel very strongly about how important it is for kids to realize how writing can open up the world for them. The project with Poketo was a great example of how writing and art combine and make something unique.

Collaboration is crucial to the success of 826LA. Most of our product is created through collaboration, from actual products for sale in the store to services we offer like tutoring and workshops. We could not do it without the help of such talented and generous people. Another of my favorites is the Time Line of Fragrances - it’s 10 different fragrances that span 34,000 BCE (Caveman) to 77778 (Dystopia). They were created by Yosh, a perfumer who once managed the Pirate Store in San Francisco, so she really knew what we were looking for and they are just amazing.

Anything you are hoping, wishing, aiming for in 2009?
We look forward to celebrating our 1st anniversary of the EP tutoring lab in January and the store in April. We continue to grow and always need volunteers to come down and help tutor - we have up to 40 kids some days! And of course we are always looking for projects with great folks like Poketo.

You can visit the store and find out how you can be part of 826LA at www.826la.org.

You can see videos, read interviews, and purchase the Poketo + 826LA wallets at poketo.com and the Time Travel Mart, 1714 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026, (213)413-3388

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Hi Martha!! You were one of the first people to join the 826LA project. We have been a big fan of your work and it’s great to do something special like this together. What was it about the project and 826LA that you love?

I have worked with 826 Valencia on a book project and it was an excellent experience. I love the idea behind all these 826 stores. I think it’d be great if we could do some art tutoring there too!

What did you like about the stories you illustrated for? What were your thoughts and approach to taking on the students stories? Is there anything you want to tell the young authors??

I like the authenticity and rawness of the stories. They are just being themselves and that is so refreshing. I’d tell the authors to keep on writing as much as possible and trust your own ideas!

You have great interaction with your fans on your website, you give a lot of opportunity for people to follow your work and get to know you. In particular, I love your Freedom Wig project. Can you tell us a little more about that project? Is it something you do to motivate? Is it something you do for your collectors? What is the idea behind Freedom Wig? Where does the name come from?

The name Freedom wig comes from the old wig ads in the back of tabloid magazines in the 70s. It was the name of a specific wig you could buy. But I saw that imagery first on the cover the Stone’s “Some Girls” album. The name is struck me as awesome and wrong. Wearing a wig isn’t really freeing, but when I was younger my mom had cancer and had to wear a wig and for her it was freeing. This made me obsessed with wigs.

I started Freedomwig as a challenge to myself to stay motivated. I did one painting every day for a year. I am much better with a goal. It was super hard but when the year was done I kinda missed it so now I do it Monday thru Friday. I am not as disciplined as before but it keeps me trying new things. I also like the idea of having affordable art. Everyone should be able to buy art, don’t you think?

Totally agree, that is the basic philosophy behind Poketo too. What drives the imagery in your work? How would you describe the work that you do, the inspiration, the meanings for the pieces to you. I’m sure each piece has a different meaning to you, but, your subjects and aesthetic is strong…. generally, is there something that drives your work?

Being annoyed with the way things are drives my work. The issues usually center around my insecurities. It is a diary with pictures.

You also recently finished up Beauty Road Trip with friend and artist, Esther Pearl Watson, who also contributed to the 826 project. Can you tell us how the project started, what it was about, what you were hoping for, looking back now, what are your thoughts on the roadtrip? Any anecdotes, favorite moments you want to share that stuck out to you from the trip?

The trip started because I love road trips. Esther and I teach at Art Center College of Design and they offer an enrichment grant to teachers, so we started thinking about an enrichment project that involves art and road tripping. We collaborated a while ago on a McSweeney’s published book “Dear New Girl or Whatever Your Name Is” and the pieces we did had a beauty theme. So a Beauty Road Trip seemed like a natural next step. We wanted to find out what people outside of hyper-superficial L.A. thought about beauty.

There are so many good moments but one that stood out was our discovery that everyone in Marfa, TX has a chainsaw. Don’t ask!

I want to know! I’ll ask another time. You share a studio space with some amazing artists, including Esther Pearl Watson, Mark Todd, and Souther Salazar. Is there ever any melding of the minds, collaboration in a studio full of creativity? Do you guys usually keep to yourselves or do you ever make time to share ideas and projects that lead to some sort of collaboration? I can only imagine the energy in your studio!

When our studio first started there was a lot more interaction. It has changed and evolved with people leaving and new people coming in over the years. We definitely keep to ourselves more. Even though we are not a frenzied hotspot of collaboratin’ right now, there is a creative energy that each person shoots off that does have an affect on you. I can completely feel it.

Last but not least, any projects you are currently working on that you want to talk about, what’s coming up in 2009?

I have a show at La Luz de Jesus in April 2009 and Esther and I are figuring out what we are going to do with our crazy Beauty Road Trip experiences. Stay tuned!

Thanks Martha, we should do something at the Poketo space for Beauty Road Trip. We’ll talk later!

Check out Martha’s two wallets here and here.
Visit Martha at www.martharich.com.

Interview with Tim Biskup on Poketo + 826LA Collaboration from Poketo.

Tim Biskup worked with Poketo and 826LA to create a Poketo wallet for the collaborative project, “When Wallets Eat Words”. 826LA students wrote a story and we got top Los Angeles artists to illustrate them as covers for Poketo wallets!!

In this short interview, Tim Biskup shares his thoughts on working with kids inside a vibrating dj booth at his weekly music gig, Moon dogg, at the Verdugo Bar, Los Angeles.

Check out all the wallets from Poketo + 826LA.
Visit Tim at www.timbiskup.com.

Hi Mark and Esther! I am super excited that both of you are part of this special collaboration with 826LA. What was it about this benefit that you loved?

This was a fun project for us. a challenge to create some work that compliments the writing. We are happy with the results.

Is there anything you want to tell the students that you made the illustrations for?

I hope all the students who were involved in this project continue to be creative, to have their voices heard.

Of course the stories directed the images, but, how did you decide to use those images and what was the process?

Since the writing was literally “dreamlike”, the visual look to the work was important. Its a two sided thing. one one hand, since the writing is “loose” and freeform, the work can go into a more abstract route. On the other hand, you can’t just throw anything in there, you want to capture the writers style, his or her way of saying things. We would read the story over and over, pulling things that seemed interesting to illustrate, that capture the essence of the piece. Then arrange them into a eye pleasing illustration.

I love that, how you can look at something over and over and find new information, ideas, and details. I like hearing how you found the imagery to their stories. I know you were involved in some of the McSweeney’s publications. Can you tell us a bit more those projects? Read the rest of this entry »

Hello Mr. Bettig, how are you? We’ve known each other for quite some years now. I think the first time we met, probably in 2003, I was down in LA for a visit and stopped in Four X Four Gallery where you were putting up your show. It wasn’t totally installed yet, pieces were on the floor, but, it just looked incredible. I remember I gave you a Poketo wallet and we’ve kept in touch since and have become good friends. You were part of one of the first few Poketo series we came out with. You do a lot of different work now, everything from painting, screenprinting, drawing, sculptures, paper cut outs, computer work. What inspires you to do all of those things? Do you have a favorite medium? Do you love working with your hands?

Hello Mr. & Mrs. Vadakan-Myung! Yes, it’s been several years now… I was setting up for my solo show at Four X Four Gallery…

I’ve always been sort of all over the place, I never really stuck to any one particular medium. I like variety and just working with whatever is around me, and I’m always learning new processes etc, so it’s really just a constant evolution. That being said, it’s really hard to pick a favorite medium, I’d like to eventually be doing large scale mixed media installations like Phoebe Washburn or Jessica Stockholder, but for the time being I’m really enjoying working with paper. Yes, it’s totally about just working with my hands, I do enjoy designing things on the computer but it’s not as satisfying as physically constructing it by hand.

You have a home studio. I love your place, it’s so well designed and laid out. Tons of great books, toys, sculptures, artwork. What are some of the things you neeed to keep around you to stay creative? What inspires you? Are there things you look to for ideas and inspiration? Read the rest of this entry »

Hi Leah! Tell us a little about yourself, how you got into drawing and animation, is this something you’ve always wanted to do?

Ever since I was a little kid, I have been always drawing. My mom thought that I had a talent so I started studying fine art in art school when I was 12. I explored different media throughout my teens and decided to go further with painting in college. After 4 years of painting, I wanted something more…..like making my characters move! And that’s why I got into animation. I have to say what I do now is pretty much what I’ve always wanted to do because I have never thought about doing something else other than making art.

You grew up in Korea, how did you find yourself in Los Angeles. What was the motivation, was living in LA a dream or….

Haha..I had a big Hollywood dream! Just kidding. I was looking into a school for animation in The States and came across CalArts. I was accepted, learned a lot about animation and made great friends. That’s how I ended up starting my new life in LA.

We first met at the San Diego Comic Con a few years back. I loved the characters you were making on the prints you had there. Since that time, we have gotten to know each other well and I have seen a diversity of styles in your art and drawings. Your work can be dark, mysterious and other pieces are very light. How would you describe your work? Where do both of these different sides come from? Is it a feeling you have during the day that dictates what comes out? Read the rest of this entry »

Hi Rama!!

Hello Mr. & Mrs. Vadakan!

We’ve known each other for a couple of years now. One thing I’ve come to know of you is that you live and breathe drawing. The first time I came to your house, you sat me down and we looked through a couple of your sketch books. You approach your drawing like a documentary photographer–you capture people, moments, feelings. How has your drawing and art has evolved over the years. Did you always draw people? How did you get into drawing and capturing real life?

Ummmm… How HAS my art evolved over the years? I don’t know. I could walk you through my sketchbooks again and show you all the big turning points. They’re hard to describe with words though. When I was a little kid, I drew race cars and trucks. When I was in elementary school, I drew Transformers. In middle school, I drew superheroes. In high school, I started drawing my friends. In college, I drew EVERYTHING. Out of college, I drew my family and my friends and lots of really simple autobiographical comic strips. That’s also when I started working as an illustrator. So, I drew pretty much anything anyone paid me to draw.

In the past couple of years, I’ve been drawing more portraits than anything else. And this year, thanks to my newest teaching gig, I’ve been doing a lot of everything: Collaging, painting, printmaking,making little sculptures. It’s fun!
I’d like to think that my work is always improving but I have noticed that my interests sort of zigzag in one direction then go back the way they came.

And. Yes, my starting point is always people. I don’t draw them ALL the time but people really are my favorite things to draw or paint or sculpt. So, whether I’m drawing cartoons or comics or cityscapes or whatever, the piece feels empty to me if there isn’t a person in there somewhere.

What else did you…? Oh yeah, “capturing real life.” Hm. I kind of feel like I’ve always been into that but it really started in high school. By my first or second year of college though, it was my obsession. There is nothing more interesting than our real lives. In my opinion. Once I figured that out, my art AND MY LIFE became a lot more exciting.

I think it’s also safe to say your work extends beyond the real world. You’re a huge fan of comicbooks, superheros, and the fantastic. I love the Poketo wallet you did of the robot walking through suburbia. Do you prefer drawing the fantastic over reality? How do you choose? Is it a project that drives your work? Is it whatever you feel like in the morning? Read the rest of this entry »