Neck Face (born 1984 in Stockton, California) is a

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

artist known for a naïve and humorous style. His works have been shown in art galleries as well as on the streets.

Early life and education

Neck Face grew up in a large family and two of his brothers ran a graffiti shop where he spent a lot of time. He began tagging in Stockton, California during his junior year in high school. He went to

The School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, but said "I went to art school for two years and realized that it sucked... and dropped out"

Work

Neck Face's style can be described as naïve and scratchy. His themes have a bloody, violent and medieval feel to them. Obvious influences are heavy metal and latrinalia. His gallery works stay true to his style, and include drawings and paintings, as well as metal masks, felt installations, and sculptures. In 2005 his work was prominently visible from the

Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Interstate 278 (I-278) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in New Jersey and New York in the United States. The road runs from US Route 1/9 (US 1/9) in Linden, New Jersey, northeast to the Bruckner Interchange in the New York ...

. He has painted throughout the United States, and in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Sydney,

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, and

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

Career

He started by making stickers and putting them up in Stockton and

Lodi, California Lodi ( ) is a city located in San Joaquin County, California, in the center portion of California's Central Valley. The population was 62,134 at the 2010 census. The estimated population is approximately 67,586 according to 2019 census data. L ...

. Then his work spread to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. The attention he received from his street work allowed him to move into art galleries. Neck Face's first gallery show was when he was 18-years-old and was sponsored by

Rich Jacobs Rich Jacobs (born 1972 in Long Beach, California) is an American artist and curator who currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Jacobs has exhibited in the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. In 2008, his work ''Mi ...

and held at

New Image Art New Image Art is an art gallery in West Hollywood, California. It was founded and is directed by Marsea Goldberg, started in 1994.West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. He's shown in the

New Image Art New Image Art is an art gallery in West Hollywood, California. It was founded and is directed by Marsea Goldberg, started in 1994.Luggage Store Gallery in San Francisco, One Grand Gallery in Portland, the

Dactyl Foundation Dactyl Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit arts organization in New York City founded by New York-based artist Neil Grayson and novelist/philosopher of science V.N. Alexander. History Founded in 1997 in the "evening of the postmodern day," ...

in New York, and the OHWOW Gallery in Miami.

Commercial projects

As a skateboarder, Neck Face has helped design for

Baker Skateboards Baker Skateboards is an American skateboarding company founded in 2000 by professional skateboarder Andrew Reynolds. The company's main products are skateboard decks, soft goods, accessories, and wheels. History In 1999 Reynolds went to a sec ...

, and is the Art Director for Baker Skateboards. Neck Face has also collaborated with

Vans Vans is an American manufacturer of skateboarding shoes and related apparel, established in Anaheim, California, and owned by VF Corporation. The company also sponsors surf, snowboarding, BMX, and motocross teams. From 1996 to 2019, the comp ...

Stüssy Stüssy ( ) is an American privately held fashion house founded in the early 1980s by Shawn Stussy. It benefited from the surfwear trend originating in Orange County, California, but was later adopted by the skateboard and hip hop scenes. Hist ...

and Altamont Apparel. His first skateboard art was for famous skateboarder

Mark Gonzales Mark Gonzales (born June 1, 1968), also known as "Gonz" and "The Gonz", is an American professional skateboarder and artist. He is known as the godfather of modern street skateboarding and was named the "Most Influential Skateboarder of All Ti ...

. The then 18-year-old Neck Face was asked to provide a design for the ''Krooked'' board. After his first board with Gonzales he was introduced to Kevin 'Spanky' Long and started to create boards for him and the Baker skateboard brand.

Solo exhibitions

*2012 Neck Face "A Deal with the Devil", One Grand Gallery in Portland, OR *2012 Neck Face "Simply the Worst", New Image Art Gallery in Los Angeles, CA *2010 Neck Face Into Darkness, OHWOW Los Angeles *2009 Neck Face "Return to the Womb," V1 Gallery in Copenhagen, Denmark *2009 Neck Face at OHWOW, Miami, Florida in October *2007 Closed casket, Dactyl Foundation, New York, USA *2006 The Night After Halloween, New Image Art Gallery, West Hollywood, USA *2005 Monster Children, Sydney, Australia *2005 DPMHI, London, U.K. *2004 Witch Hunt, New Image Art Gallery, West Hollywood, USA

Bibliography

* *- Total pages: 156

References

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neck Face American graffiti artists American painters School of Visual Arts alumni 1984 births Living people Artist skateboarders