here are some photos i took and edited while exploring Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
VIEWS
here’s a letter
dear everyone that’s connected with me on here,
i wanted to go ahead and say thank you for the continued encouragement and support for the path i am taking through the world with my artwork. since december of 2013 i relied solely on making money through selling of artwork or other artistic collaborations. a jobless art bum.
over the years i have been balancing a lot of aspects of my own personal life and the public life/relationships i try deeply to maintain. it’s never really easy.
i began an art and music collaborative that showcases my friends artwork and creations in 2015 called PORTCULTURE and to this day it has evolved naturally becoming an arts exhibition & experience.
this project has guided a lot of my actions and steps since i began my trek into becoming a professional artist.
nothing has been easy and i have even failed a lot of the times. which is fine. i seem to always return with greater strength and understanding to get me further in life.
i realize that i am always passionately seeking to contribute to the greater good of the arts community in hopes to be a catalyst for creative change or an inspiration to a generation. at that endeavor i often feel successful relative to feedback and praises. thank you.
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[some of what to expect, life updates, some plans]
there is a brilliant team of minds that work with me for PORTCULTURE to help make the monthly arts exhibitions at Urban South Brewery possible. i am still deeply involved with the organization but will be searching for ways to expand for visibility and opportunity even further for the artists we work with by networking in Los Angeles, California.
a goal of PORTCULTURE was to expand the project to other major port cities. it only makes sense to expand the name.. it’s great for everyone involved. i am exploring potential partnerships to make this possible. (together we made this a reality.) we’re really close to a much larger collaboration with a growing platform that uses their technology to help discover upcoming artists. it was built by artists for artists. (this is something i have always wanted to be apart of since the days of myspace)
thank you for coming out to these gatherings my friends and i would organize. (thank you for partying with us) it’s safe to say that everything is beginning to pay off. together we are the arts renaissance that we have been seeking. it’s becoming more of a reality each and every day.
PORTCULTURE has been growing into a much larger enigma.
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Cvlt Aesthetics, the art+clothing project is a clothing brand that i founded in october of 2015. i’m on my third year for this brand and it too is evolving. initially with that brand i wanted to share a ton of amazing art that inspires me to my peers. i’m happy to say that this part of the project will be more consistent. i also am happy to say that i have no idea what to expect in 2019 for cvlt aesthetics… Clams Casino’s biological father purchased the first CVLT design i made for the brand to help me get to Los Angeles. Clams will be wearing it while on his European tour. this actually being apart of my reality is honestly so wonderful to me.. there are SO many of my friends who own that shirt along with many other garments i’ve designed over time.. so now it’s like we are in a huge art cult together. so wear cvlt aesthetics proudly, we are all connected.
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doing this balancing act really occupies a lot of my head-space and time. it’s honestly been a wild ride and i am really eager to see where this all takes me. the time is now to set out and accomplish your goals/dreams. it will never be a smooth and easy journey but most importantly you will never know until you try.
i have no idea what i am doing.
thank you for your time, i hope this encourages you to do what ever your heart desires.
join my cvlt letter: http://eepurl.com/cRrF69
photo taken by: www.ello.co/icvrus
i traveled to los angeles to meet Clams Casino
in this photo above you see Mike Volpe aka Clams Casino completely vibing out at the first [adult swim] festival. also featured is Clams wearing my Lotus Oni Rez button i gave to him while we looked at my artwork with his wife and friends in his artist’s trailer. for parts of me this photo sings victory.. i finally was able to meet the creator of the music that influences so much of my mood while drawing/existing. i’ve been enjoying his music for over what feels like five years. his beats carried and inspired me while i drifted around making and selling art in the gulf-coast.
the moment was honestly surreal. every step i took getting closer to this moment i spent thinking and tracing the steps that my artwork led for me.
this is the story of the road less traveled. i don’t come from a wealthy family or a family of money at all. only thing i was gifted with was knowledge and the ability to create/manifest.
two years ago Clams Casino liked and reposted an illustration i made for him. shortly after he followed me and we began connecting with one another. i was able to send him that very same illustration and now it hangs in his studio in NJ. when we finally met i was able to gift another piece of art to him. it was a painting i created earlier this year called “floral minor“.
this is my story that i want to share with who ever is reading. thank you for believing enough in my work to support it. my art is truly appreciated by so many beautiful souls and this is something in this life-time i couldn’t be more grateful for.
a major thanks to the Volpe family for collecting & supporting my work. special thanks to Clams’ father for actually reaching out and buying something from the cvlt aesthetics shop to help me get to LA. again, these moments i never would have possibly thought would exist years ago.
in this recent journey, i deserve to be happy. i deserve to feel surges of joy and contempt. i know that this is never going to end and i should continue to press forward to strive and collect more accomplishments.
now… i am pushing to make my way to continue life in California.. my New Orleans chapter isn’t entirely complete but i feel guided to pursue what feels like a greater calling for my artwork. the Portculture art exhibitions are still continuing with the creative team who collaborated to help bring it to life along with the family at Urban South Brewery.
be consumed.
ps. i started using the cvlt aesthetics newsletter to share a ton of artwork i discover online & discount codes for our gear. please join this cvlt letter.
x
cc: photographs taken of Clams Casino are by LA based photographer the1point8
cosmic letters
there are signs appearing around me consistently right now. slowly you see what you ask for beginning to take shape in the realm around you. this week was the first time i’ve gotten to step foot into the state of Florida. as a child i was told to never go East, which kind of petrified me from adventuring the literal direction East. it wasn’t until recently that i began planning for Portculture to begin hosting shows in Florida that a ton of other personal goals began aligning themselves. i started to wonder and think a little deeper about that.
my answers cannot be shared on this post.
i walked along the gulf-coast shoreline contemplating where i as a person in this moment of time is actually headed. i know that my main focus right now is developing my artwork and curating the art shows at Urban South Brewery with Portculture. i should just keep that on my plate and stop trying to be greedy huh?
i am becoming the all around renaissance man i have been growing to be. i will share my photography more confidently along side of my illustrations and paintings. if you’re following me you will certainly see over all creative expression from here on out. it’s all that really make sense to me anymore.
below is a commission i completed last week for a friend of mine. the dimensions are 11″ x 14″
you can view the full sized photo on my ELLO at www.ello.co/leeaux
if you want any artwork send me an email to leeaux@portculture.org
thank you for supporting me, my artwork, and my journey as a creator.
i am falling back into the mood of creation, i clearly understand it’s seasonal in relation to circumstance.
lately i’ve been falling back into the swing of producing new works. i’ve been highly inspired by my environment and circumstances. i also have been inspired by what i’ve been exposing myself to on ELLO. i’m pretty into the idea of promoting my latest doodles and work on there so if you want to see my story unfold you can follow me on ello. i’m really into the idea of exploring the artistic nature of myself. delving into more expression.. like photography, illustrations, blogging, writing. it’s honestly something i need to nurture more.
given my circumstances, writing and sharing my story now is more important than ever.
i created this recently, as in last night- this piece is called “Fortune Tellers”
thank you for your time.
