Los Angeles based artist Eric Yahnker is a bit of an unorthodox character.
He was originally working in comedy and animation for about a decade on shows like South Park, MADtv, and Seinfeld, as well as a fist-full of animated commercials, then in August of 2004, fed up from it all, he rented a studio and started making work.
When Eric talks about the genesis, how he became frustrated to not be able to draw more, or what inspires and drives him now – from pop culture, LA, politics, all of it is just so colorful, absurd and amazing – like in a comic book, you simply can’t look away.
I most likely saw Eric’s work online the first time and it took a while for me to finally see it in person. His large format and highly detailed graphite and colored pencil drawings on paper are meant to be experienced face to face, with the layers of cynicism hitting you the hard way.
Eric was interviewed by Fecal Face back in June 2009, and his last solo exhibition over the summer, entitled Naughty Teens/Garbanzo Beans at Ambach & Rice in Seattle received quite some good press. If you are going to Miami for the art fairs this December, look for his work at NADA.
Eric Yahnker was born in Torrance, California. He received his B.F.A. in animation from the California Institute Of Arts and studied journalism at University of Southern California.
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