WELCOME TO OTIS WORLD
Otis on Otis: “My drawings and paintings in general are inspired [by] and feel like my personal experiences, reflecting the way I see our culture: horrifying with an awesome and entertaining twist.
As a kid I was a self-drugged street dwelling weird-o, a reclusive crappy student and high school drop-out. I was not popular and never fit in. My first drawing that I can remember was of JFK getting blasted, while all of the mothers cried”.
Self-taught and self-educated, Otis sharpened his distinct style as an artist in the late 70s through the mid 90s as one of Los Angeles premier and most notorious punk rock artists. “The punk and rock scene back then made a cozy home for creative rejects like myself, most of my friends today are from that camp, we were square pegs in a world of round holes”. Otis played saxophone in local punk bands while designing band logos, record covers, posters. At the same time producing and designing merchandise for the first generation of touring punk and sub culture bands and promoters world wide. Some early customers and friends later became well known including The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Goldenvoice concerts, The Damned, Social Distortion, TSOL, The Adolescents, Danzig, The Circle Jerks, Wasted Youth, and many many more.
Otis has worked with literally hundreds of bands, musicians, promoters, magazines, record labels and fellow art makers. In the early 90s he designed and self published the True Life Murderers Trading cards. This was the first set on the subject matter and attracted mass media attention. Many more off center publications followed. Otis' art has appeared in countless magazines, films and his projects have been praised and equally viciously attacked in the media by moralist groups and media hungry politicians. Laws have actually been passed in Canada and New York to restrict the sale of his publications, an insidious form of censorship. Otis is entertained by the reactions of our puritan and mentally ill American culture. He no longer takes commercial work but shows and sells his paintings and art on occasion in art galleries and through his personal site here. Otis has also focused his psychotic energies on filmmaking, puppet making, clothing design and film directing.
all content in this site © 2012 bad otis link
As a kid I was a self-drugged street dwelling weird-o, a reclusive crappy student and high school drop-out. I was not popular and never fit in. My first drawing that I can remember was of JFK getting blasted, while all of the mothers cried”.
Self-taught and self-educated, Otis sharpened his distinct style as an artist in the late 70s through the mid 90s as one of Los Angeles premier and most notorious punk rock artists. “The punk and rock scene back then made a cozy home for creative rejects like myself, most of my friends today are from that camp, we were square pegs in a world of round holes”. Otis played saxophone in local punk bands while designing band logos, record covers, posters. At the same time producing and designing merchandise for the first generation of touring punk and sub culture bands and promoters world wide. Some early customers and friends later became well known including The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Goldenvoice concerts, The Damned, Social Distortion, TSOL, The Adolescents, Danzig, The Circle Jerks, Wasted Youth, and many many more.
Otis has worked with literally hundreds of bands, musicians, promoters, magazines, record labels and fellow art makers. In the early 90s he designed and self published the True Life Murderers Trading cards. This was the first set on the subject matter and attracted mass media attention. Many more off center publications followed. Otis' art has appeared in countless magazines, films and his projects have been praised and equally viciously attacked in the media by moralist groups and media hungry politicians. Laws have actually been passed in Canada and New York to restrict the sale of his publications, an insidious form of censorship. Otis is entertained by the reactions of our puritan and mentally ill American culture. He no longer takes commercial work but shows and sells his paintings and art on occasion in art galleries and through his personal site here. Otis has also focused his psychotic energies on filmmaking, puppet making, clothing design and film directing.
all content in this site © 2012 bad otis link
