The homey Freddie Gibbs came through to plot the next project. Stay tuned…

Here’s a recent look inside the studio from the good people at HypeBeast , directed by the homey Willie T.

“I claim to be an average man of less than average ability. I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith.” ~Gandhi

A final overview of Art Center. Take a look….

It’s a wrap. Let the real work begin….

To give you a taste, I took a peep into the transportation department. Everybody from Bentley, Aston Martin, BMW, Audi to your Toyotas, Nissans and everyone in between come through to fish out the raw, uncorrupted, and fresh ideas of the people that are soon to be dictating every look, angle, material, and functionality of every car brand in the market. At this point- consistent, efficient functionality, and superior design is a priority for brands in general.  So the cars, regardless if it’s about  luxury or basic needs, has to meet realistic distribution numbers, produced with quality attention, and at the end of the day–look good.

So in this section, concepts are developed for the select brands showcasing every single aspect of the given series of a model. Everything from interior design, exterior design, type of metals/materials, technology intelligence used to operate the vehicles–but all coming from a new perspective of design to sustainability, pushing the market to constantly be in an innovative state from competitors.

The homie Alexandar has his projects on lock to aim at BMW, taking current models and evolving them into a new breed of hybrid vehicles.

Models like these are started from scratch. A block of clay is laid out and hand carved to sculpt and describe every shape, line, and detail of the exterior body.

There’s a thousand other processes to get to this point, but eventually digital renderings are completed to show the presentation at large with the 3D model front and center. And again every detail backed by a purpose and accounted for.

For example, check out the design on the inner framework of the tail lights below. Shrink that down  8 times and it would belong in the little red compartment on the model above as the actual light bulb.

So the true quality and strength of any transportation vehicle begins with design. Just because you see your favorite rapper driving it, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s superior in quality. The amount of attention put into the actual fundamentals that form a car is where the art is. What is used through branding and business strategies by the larger companies to make you believe your ‘luxurious’ is a whole other art in itself……which brings us to the AD department–up next.

It’s about time to wrap it up here at Art Center. These past four years in this facility has broadened the vision beyond what I thought was possible with art and design and to see the full range of potential that it has to offer is an endless learning process. But with all it’s accolades, with the rep, with the ethic, at the end of the day it’s the quality of education that truly matters from the time, money and energy that’s invested in this place. And especially in today’s age, a piece of paper truly doesn’t mean much if the ideas aren’t attached to an overall vision, a team, and a passion that drives it all to make it happen.

Education is priceless.

Today not just in this institution, but nationwide, there’s less and less money being financed to continue education-equalling less and less people of the majority population who care. Resulting in less in less people out to pursue their plans through education—the quick fix. This isn’t to say education in one area is the same for another. What it means to us  isn’t what it means for the soon to be psychologist, doctor, clothing brand owner-whatever.  It’s a combination of applying the books with the street that fuels an entrepreneur spirit–and that’s something no one can teach. So when’s it’s all said and done it’s no coincidence that the group of people who are going to have the ability to make the final decisions that affect thousands of other people,  is a certain type of group.

Which again is why education is priceless. Throughout these terms I’ve seen people drop, overwhelmed in debt to the point of failure, listened to the countless stories of people outside of this world describe how useless it is invest in education and on and on. Which are the same people who complain day in and out of how things ’should be’, or what they ‘could have done’. Which are also the people that can’t see beyond their own noses…….and it’s all good.

The connection of what happens now is directly related-if not dictates what happens in the future. And it’s a law of nature: the new replaces the old–pushing past what’s possible, carrying what’s been done to another level and carving out a road that none have even thought of or predicted. But it’s the quality of the new, the conditioning of the new, the evolution of the new…..the education of the new that makes all the difference within the select few of this future.

So the transitions you’ve been seeing is just another beginning, and has just been the prelude to the introduction. And we can proudly say, training is finally over.

Keep your eyes out for these next few days, the final wrap up to come.

Not too far from the studio is Graphaids, and along side their store is a recent piece from the legendary MAC and RETNA. If nature had a term for the deadliest combination on this earth it would be the collaboration and work of these two artists. Among the hundreds of thousands of the street artists in Los Angeles, Mac and Retna have been the most powerful and have been my personal favorite at an early age. If your a native to LA, graffiti is a mandatory part of this environment-almost to the point where expecting to see it is automatic. Sadly over the years in my generation,  the quality of street art has been polluted by street politics that at the end of the day, for the kid that thinks he’s gaining some recognition by writing on the freeway, really means nothing. For the kids the art is lost. But thankfully, the handful of these older masters who’ve taken it beyond the bathroom urinal, are on a global mission to keep the art alive and thriving. This piece serves as another reminder…..

Some are just built differently then others. This reminded me of a recent article-researches say various skills and traits over time are developed in different humans specifically to carry on and evolve attributes of their ancestors. The mental ability goes hand in hand with the genetic  makeup of the individual. So somewhere deeply embedded in Mac’s DNA is Michelangelo’s chromosome….

The westside-again, is the best side. And through out the four-corners of West LA you have your landmarks like the Venice Beach, Santa Monica Pier……even Tito’s Tacos and the many others. But this piece has to stand as a true jewel tucked away just on the outskirts of Culver City and is timeless. To see photos is not enough, seeing the texture, color and technique come alive up close in personal is another story. This is another testament that barriers can be broken, and anything’s possible because it’s only a matter of time where the art of the street bombardes the pretentious world of fine art to a level where it is recognized for what it truly is….if that hasn’t already begun. If your in town, stop and  look.