Who Is BOMONSTER?

BOMONSTER is a California artist who grew up watching his dad build his own race cars during the week and then race those prototype contraptions at weekend drag races all over Southern California. At San Gabriel, Lions, Colton, Fontana and Pomona's now legendary strip, he witnessed the rise of many great racers with nicknames like "Big Daddy," "TV," "Cookie," "Mongoose" and "The Snake." And he watched famous cars like "Pure Hell," "Hemi Under Glass"  and the "Little Red Wagon" wheelie their way into the collective history of today's drag racing buffs.

It was during those formative years that BOMONSTER discovered a new art form being perpetrated on young minds everywhere: hot rod art. From t-shirt artists to comics, model cars and tattoos, the beginning of a self-taught, lowbrow, no rules art style based on the tire-smoking performance of hopped-up cars began to find its way into the world of surfing, skateboarding, enthusiast magazines and hobby shops across the country.

Guys like Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Ed Newton, Robert Crumb, Stanley Mouse, Rick Griffin, Pete Millar, Von Franco, The Pizz - and a generation of sick artists since -  all added to what Tex Avery and Basil Wolverton had explored years before - a surreal take on a world obsessed with cars, girls, monsters and the bizarre.

The appeal of the hot rod is found by honoring tradition but adding a personal touch which not only creates a personalized expression but allows the viewer to see something new in something familiar.  Much like the art of BOMONSTER.

WHAT IS SCRATCHBOARD ART?

Scratchboard is basically the art of drawing with a sharp knife. Each board starts out as a white clay coated surface on top of a masonite base. On top of the white clay surface is a smooth layer of black ink. By scraping away the black surface, the white under coating is revealed. The process was invented the late 1800s as a way for illustrators to create an etching-like effect for excellent magazine reproduction in less time than it took to create a fine steel engraved etching. The trick is to complete one without making any mistakes. The best way to display them is to frame under a mat to keep the surface free from touching the glass.

WHAT MAKES A BOMONSTER ORIGINAL A BOMONSTER?

Traditional hot rods, cool cars, wild kustoms, drag racers, motorcycles, road trips, monster waves, strange and freaky characters and their cute girlfriends, and the surreal all scratched from a black surface. Hidden in each design is a reference to BOMONSTER's personal car - a 1964 Kellison Astra X-300GT he's building in his garage. Look for it lurking in the background.

WHERE CAN I MEET BOMONSTER?

BOMONSTER usually attends select west coast hot rod and bike shows displaying and selling his original scratchboard art, prints, and apparel throughout the year and is always busy scratching up a new designs for future prints and apparel. You can also meet him at some Gasoline Gallery art openings (www.gasolinegallery.com) where his work is sometimes on view. You can follow him on facebook (www.facebook.com/thebomonster) and read more by signing up to receive our email newsletters on the home page.

CAN I HIRE BOMONSTER FOR COMMISSIONED WORK?

Yes. BOMONSTER can be hired to create original masterpieces for your event, your company or even your personal car or bike. BOMONSTER has created a line of shirt designs for the European market, done advertising illustrations, designed logos, produced short films and TV/Internet campaigns for world-class brands and has been the creative director for a variety of national and international consumer and business-to-business ad campaigns.

Got a marketing challenge? Let's talk about you want to do and how BOMONSTER’s original scratchboard style can help get you stand out from the usual standard approach. 

To start the conversation email: bomonster@bomonster.com