Greg 'Craola' Simkins
Torrance, US
Greg Simkins was born and raised in Torrance, California, just outside of Los Angeles. He grew up on a diet of Cap'n Crunch and Saturday morning cartoons. Upon his discovery of the Crayon and gleaning inspiration from cartoons, Greg began drawing on his parents' walls and unearthed his calling. His desire to create quickly grew into a full-time obsession and later, a career. In 1993, Greg was introduced to the spray can, which became the deviant impetus behind his art career. It was through this medium, along with the influence of other graffiti artists, that his artistic style evolved. Throughout the years, Greg explored other mediums and now creates mainly with brushes and acrylics and pen and paper, though he still picks up the spray can to paint murals from time to time. Greg's art is seen in a wide variety of industries from clothing to video games and has also come to life in the form of toys. His style of creating familiar characters placed in other worldly situations has created successful work that contains stories that are both hidden and on the surface. Greg is represented by Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles, CA and his work also appears in other galleries throughout the United States.