Today we’d like to introduce you to Howard Hallis.
Howard, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
My art is about infinite connectivism. It attempts to be overwhelming and all-encompassing. My ongoing work, “The Picture of Everything,” does its best to actually show “everything” in an objective manner. I deal in conceptualism, as my art takes many forms based on what is best to perpetuate an idea. Stylistically I fall into the pop-surrealism category, as my work uses many familiar figures from various mass media.
Illustration is my primary medium, as I work best with colored pencils and pens. These drawings are sometimes digitally composited to make 3D lenticulars, which I have created in a variety of sizes ranging from business cards to 6-foot tall prints that are displayed in large light-boxes. I also paint and do collage.
If I get the idea to make something, I will do my best to bring it into reality. That’s how I view being an artist, and it goes beyond traditional illustrations into various new genres of expression…
Besides my fine art, I also own one of the largest collections of Doctor Strange comics and memorabilia in the world, with over 6000 unique items featuring the Marvel character. The collection itself is part of my art, as it has been an obsessive passion project that has been on display at numerous museums and galleries including the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
When I found out about the urban legend video game “Polybius,” I commissioned a full-sized working arcade cabinet that plays the game, complete with a secret button to get to the various “hidden” mind control functions. It’s one of the only working Polybius cabinets in the world.
I’m involved in numerous musical projects, including the band Koi Division. It’s a Joy Division parody group that wears fish masks and changes the original lyrics to oceanic themes like “Lures Will Catch Us A Carp” instead of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and “Trout Fishin'” instead of Transmission. I was also the singer for the bands Don Knotts Overdrive and Gefilte Fuck back in the 90s.
I grew up in Los Angeles and got an art degree at UCLA, studying with legendary professors such as Chris Burden, Charlie Ray, Nancy Rubin, Richard Jackson, Paul McCarthy, Larry Pittman, and Jan Stussy. After college, I worked with Dr. Timothy Leary as one of his assistants. We collaborated on three books, where I provided Photoshop digital collages for his writings.
After Tim died, I landed a job as the sole webmaster at Klasky Csupo animation. For over a decade I ran the corporate websites for the company that created The Rugrats, Wild Thornberrys, and the first few seasons of The Simpsons. My job involved designing games and episode guides for their kids site “Cooltoons” and creating artist pages for their numerous music labels and commercial divisions.
I currently run an alternative punk/goth/indie karaoke night in Bellflower and Fullerton. We make it a point to find songs that aren’t available at most karaoke venues, and may or may not have a hand in creating some of these “unique” tracks. The underground karaoke movement has been around well over a decade now, and I consider being a KJ an integral part of my artistic expression.
My wife Sam is an amazing person in her own right. Besides playing keyboard and bass in Koi Division with me, she makes her living as a microbiologist. We just had a baby daughter Sydney in October 2018, and I’m enjoying the all-encompassing world of fatherhood for the first time.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My illustrations are usually very baroque, with hundreds and sometimes thousands of tiny pieces composing the larger whole. People associate some of these things with a “Where’s Waldo” aesthetic, but my inspiration is more from Tibetan Tankas, epic comic book group shots, and the idea that one should find something different in a work of art each time you look at it. It’s important for me to have children like my drawings, as they are the most honest critics.
Using various copyrighted characters is an obstacle that prevents me from ever mass-producing my work without the fear of litigation, but it’s an undeniably huge source of my inspiration. It is my way of expressing the idea that cartoons, memes, superheroes, and advertising icons are the new mythology of the early 21st century. I’m certainly not the first or last to do this, but I like to think that my juxtaposition of innumerable characters and symbols make something new and unique.
As for my other areas of expression, my desire is to bring ideas into this reality that have a lasting impact on the viewer. It’s one thing to read about an urban legend of a mind control video game. It’s another thing entirely to actually play it. Having a small comic or memorabilia collection based on a particular character might be something many of us can relate to, but walking into a room where every inch of the space is filled with thousands of objects featuring that character is taking it to another level.
Why do I do what I do? It makes me happy and hopefully makes other people happy. I don’t want to be too pretentious about my motivations.
How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
I’ve read that a successful artist is one who makes a living at it. Otherwise, it’s just a hobby. I disagree since I feel I’ve had a fair amount of success with my art even though my sales have been sporadic throughout my life.
For me, success is manifesting an idea in a way that conveys what I’m trying to say.
Each conceptual notion brought into reality is a success.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Right now you can see my work on my website at www.howardhallis.com. I’m working on setting up some art shows when The Picture of Everything expands 1/3 in size. That should be completed sometime in 2021.
You can support my work by buying some of my original drawings, limited edition lenticular prints, or posters. For inquiries, send me an email at howardlarryhallis@gmail.com.
I’m also actively looking for galleries or museums interested in displaying my work, especially ones with large walls.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2273 W. Golden West Ave. Anaheim, CA 92804
- Website: www.howardhallis.com
- Phone: 323-252-2388
- Email: howardlarryhallis@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howardhallis/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/howardhallis
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/howardhallis
- Other: http://www.thepictureofeverything.com
Image Credit:
Illustrations are all by Howard Hallis.
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