Street Artist Turned Contemporary Artist: Karlos Marquez

I have long loved contemporary art, abstract art, and street art - many an artist falls into this category that I love - and now the work of artist Karlos Marquez has captured my attention. A fellow native Angeleno, one of the original LA graffiti artists since 1983; under the name of “Kartoon”, he joined “K2S” (Kill to Succeed) graffiti crew in 1985. Karlos went on to receive an education in art studying at both Los Angeles City College and Associates of Art in Sherman Oaks. In the past few years his art has evolved to include mixed mediums and collaborations with the furnishings company, Cisco Home, a local LA based home furnishings company. (The above art is for sale here.)

Karlos at work. (Image via Facebook.)

Loving this “Love”chair. (Image via Facebook.)

His Instagram is full of colorful inspiration, there are several great pieces that I love, including this abstract.

The designer in me took to these very cool, vibrant pillows! (More on Instagram.) Super coveting!

A true street artist, right!?

Looking forward to “Open Studio” this Sunday in LA along with artist Jose “Prime” Reza. More details for this weekend’s event here.

​Stay tuned for more posts featuring the studio visit too!