SDCC: The Art of SHAG

One of the highlight at Comic-Con, for me, was meeting the artist known as Shag. His art is a vivid eye-popping look at hipsters and hot rods. Both charmingly retro and provatively modern, Shag's art has intrigued me for the past few years. As a matter of fact, his prints are neatly framed in my living room.

SHAG bio: "SHAG, (a name which comes from the last two letters of his first name and the first two letters of his last name, Josh Agle), is a product of the sprawling suburbs of Los Angeles, California. He was born a little to late to experience the culture and styles which have always fascinated him and are present in most of his illustration and paintings. Shag is intrigued with the slick commercial art and advertising of the late '50s and '60s and he strives for a tight, clean and well-crafted appearance to his work.

Shag is currently completing work for solo shows in Los Angeles, Oslo and Tokyo. A live production of music and dance inspired by his artwork, Shag With a Twist, recently opened at the Los Angeles Theatre Center to rave reviews. In September, Chronicle Books will release Shag: The Art of Josh Agle, a monograph of his career as an artist."

Shag was signing pieces and doing quick sketches. I got a personalized sketch [above] that will find a place on my wall. I also bought an exclusive folio of 4 original Shag prints, "Crypto-Zoological Species of North America," available at Comic-Con only.

I also went to Shag's panel, where he talked about his life and work. Shag's appearance was one of the best things of Comic-Con 2006!

Check out Shag's work at his site. It's really cool stuff.