The “Artist You Should Know” series highlights local artists before they exhibit their work somewhere awesome, it’s our way of supporting the creative community and helping to keep San Francisco a strange and wonderful place.
If you’ve been in San Francisco for any amount of time, you’re familiar with the work of Sam Flores. His murals adorn walls all over town (like these famous ones in the Lower Haight) and his Upper Playground shirts have been on people’s backs for as long as I can remember.
His work is beautiful and haunting, and the subject matter includes a myriad of anthropomorphic characters and beautiful goddesses with styles being inspired by Japanese Edo period influenced landscapes, urban contemporary/graf inspired montages, and pop-surrealist environments. Some of his most recent works are inspired by Mexican pulp comic art and classical portraiture.
And we are so honored that Flores designed our newest limited edition shirt. Check out the design:
We got a hold of Sam recently and asked him a few questions about his history and his work. So meet Sam Flores, an artist you should know:
Part of Flores’ “Untitled” series at 645 Haight St.
Artist: Sam Flores
Instagram: @samagram12
Artist Medium(s): “Everything can be a medium”
Broke-Ass Stuart: What was your first job in San Francisco?
Sam Flores: My first job was at Subway but I got fired for taking too many cookies. My last job was at Pearl Art and Craft Supplies. It was a chain from the East Coast, and was next to where the Blick store is now on Market. When I locked in two solo shows I quit the art store to work on them. That was 26 years ago and I’ve been doing art full time since then.
BAS: “I’m a sophisticated graduate with a BFA” or “FUCK art school!”?
SF: I actually moved to SF to go to the Art Institute, but after getting a tour and finding out how much it would be, I decided to scratch that and continue teaching myself. I did sneak into class there for a semester. I’d hide in the back in a figure drawing class till they started taking role like 2 weeks in.
Flores in front of a recent mural
BAS: Your art recently explores…
SF: For a while my art’s been illustrating the relationship with self and how we adapt to our world and surroundings. How we control our weaknesses and struggles. It’s also been about helping and being a guiding light for anyone that needs a hand or has lost their way.
BAS: Describe the new BAS shirt design. Did you have fun making it?
SF: The shirt illustrates how passionate we are about fighting against all this hate and tyranny and evil racism. It’s about how this feeling comes from the deepest part of our core. Hence the drawer opening up to show how we feel.
Another beautiful Sam Flores Piece
BAS: Has anyone ever gotten your art tattooed on them?
SF: Yes. I design tattoos every once in a while. People get my art tattooed on them as well without me knowing. It’s definitely flattering. Had a couple signatures tattooed before which is crazy.
BAS: What’s like doing a large mural on the streets of San Francisco? Anything crazy ever go down?
SF: It’s always exciting, never a dull moment. I think one of the craziest spots might be on 6th and mission, a lot of things go down. Had a crackhead with his hand literally in my pocket. I had to grab it and rip it out.
Flores working on a recent mural
BAS: Favorite place to see art in the Bay Area
SF: My favorite place to see art is the Diego Rivera murals at the Art Institute, the Max Field Parish painting in the Pied Piper bar downtown, and the art gallery 111 Minna who has been crushing the game for over 25 years.
BAS: What’s coming up next for you?
SF: I’m working on a big solo show that will be in an undisclosed location until a month out. Also in the Bay I’m working on some immersive work where you get to walk in my painting and the worlds I create, becoming part of the art yourself.
