An Expanded Conversation with Todd Westover

Todd Westover Photo by Jeffrey Sklan

I got the pleasure to interview Los Angeles based multi-disciplined artist Todd Westover. Todd’s work has been displayed in the Neutra Institute Museum and in art galleries such as the LA UP Gallery. We discussed his new book from his process in selecting art to talking about his apparel line and the one thing he cannot do without as an artist.

UZOMAH: What kind of selection  process did you use for your book  in terms of  picking the perfect image for each page? How did you know everything was cohesive to the theme you wanted to portray?

TODD: My current book shows my work in chronological order. Of course within months of the book being printed I have so many new paintings, and some of my best work. Oh well. Just gotta print a new book I guess.

U: How do you think art tells a story? How do you use art to tell a story?

T: I think our first reaction to art is pure emotion based on how it looks or sounds. Before we see or hear the story we feel something. And in abstract art that’s all we get. The feeling. I often hear that my art makes people feel happy. It makes me happy to paint it but I don’t set out to make a happy painting. I’m just glad it works out that way.

U: How did you get your start in apparel? Can you name some of your favorite designers who inspired you?

T: I got a lot of feedback early on that my work would translate well into clothing. I’m a huge fan of eastern fabric patterns and batiks. Also, Marimekko designs. The 60s flower power movement was huge for me. The advertising, the stickers, the clothes, Peter Max, the look of the Beatles movie Yellow Submarine, Harry Nilsson’s  movie The Point, all of this was huge at the time and I soaked it all up.

U: How do use symbolic speech in your art to where it becomes wearable? Is there any main statement you want to make with your clothing designs?

T:  Of course I hope people feel positive about themselves and I think my clothing design can help with that. It’s bold and makes a strong statement. It’s not subtle.

U: Can you talk a little bit about your artistic process with design? What are some things you can do with design that is not possible with painting and vice versa?

T: In graphic design I like starting with an image then working other elements into and around that. I also love type. The shape and style of letters, numbers and other characters has always fascinated me. And composition is everything. In my paintings as well. It has to be composed well or it doesn’t work. The balance of the lights and the darks, the sizes of the shapes, I work on this through out the process in every painting. All the great painters had impeccable composition skills.

“Face 8”

U: Your murals are featured throughout Los Angeles. How do you take what you put on canvas onto buildings and public spaces?

T:  Bigger brushes. The first mural I did was 50 feet long and 20 feet tall. After I agreed to do it I stood in front of the wall and had serious second thoughts. Normally a painting of average size takes me several weeks, maybe a month or longer. I thought “Oh shit! This is gonna take me years, what have I gotten myself into”. I soon learned that early muralists used brooms. I use large brushes, rollers and brooms. I love painting a mural where the arch of my arm dictates the shape of one flower petal. My work translates very well into a large format I think.

U: Is there any difference when you create, for apparel, cards, murals, paintings or design? How do you approach each medium?

T: I usually have a general idea and color palette before I start a painting. Then I jump in. Start the process. Mistakes are a big part of it too. When the brush hits the canvas it doesn’t always work out how you thought it would. Figuring out how to fix that becomes the next mission. And that often leads to another happy accident. At this point the painting is showing you what it needs. This goes on until there seems to be nothing more to fix or nothing to add that will make it better. It’s a fascinating process and not always totally enjoyable. There’s usually that time, mid-painting, where the work just seems to suck and I think I’ve ruined it and should just start over.

U: What is a day in the studio like for you?

T: I try to paint as much and as soon as possible.

U: U: Can you explain what you do in 100 words or less?

T:  I make art. Every day. Often all day. I feel very fortunate that I have been able to do this most of my adult life.

“Flowers 40”

U: What made you want to pursue art as a career? When did you know making art could be a career you could live off of?

I took a package design class in my first year of college. The instructor asked if I would be interested in working for the school as a graphic designer at the in-house advertising agency there. I didn’t even know what graphic design was. I ended up quitting school and using that portfolio of printed design work to get a job at a real ad agency. Shortly after that I was hired as art director of a national magazine. I was 19.

U: What are some of your favorite responses to your work done on public spaces that viewers have said?

T: Many people have said “This makes me happy.” I’ve also been told my work has a healing effect. I like that.

“Box 2”

U: Do you have any projects that were affected due to the pandemic and how do you work around it?

T: I paint more. I recently counted 18 new paintings since the beginning of the pandemic.

U: What as an artist is the tool you could not go without that you need to create with a lot?

T: Music. I can’t do anything without music. 

U: What is next for you?

T: I’m currently working on a series of Queen Elizabeth I portraits that riff on those insane 16th century paintings of her. TODD-STYLE..

For more information and updates on Todd’s book and projects you can follow him on Instagram or go to his direct site.