L’amour Supreme is keeping busy. When he’s not painting beautiful images of Kaiju monsters or t-rex track cyclists, he’s modeling toys, collaborating with other artists, and spending time with his daughter. It’s a pleasure to share with you his artwork and back story and we hope you enjoy it like we do. Say hi to L’amour Supreme.

“I remember drawing skulls, with barbarians holding up chopped heads with naked women at age 7 really well. Adults would all look at me like I needed some sort of psychotherapy at the time but I could probably thank Frazetta for that.”

Razor Apple: Can you give us a little background on yourself?

Lamour Supreme: Well, I was born in the Phillippines but was transplanted to the Bronx when I was a little tyke. Kind of like Superman but I don’t have any Super powers or red and blue tights. Definitely a child of the Boob Tube and probably drew everything I watched or read. I used to do the graffitti thing in high school a loooong time ago and ended up in School of Visual Arts. Couldn’t find a job as fine artist so here I am doing the architectural design thing as the 9 to 5er. Go figure.

RA: What were your influences growing up? What got you into making art?

Lamour: As a kid, probably everything that traumatized me at the time. Horror movies, superheroes, toys, music, skating, sci-fi….whatever. I probably started making art because of these influences and the fact that I felt a need to sort of exorcise the images in my mind. I remember drawing skulls, with barbarians holding up chopped heads with naked women at age 7 really well. Adults would all look at me like I needed some sort of psychotherapy at the time but I could probably thank Frazetta for that.

RA: Tell me about the plexiglass paintings that you do.

Lamour: That started as a joke at work. We had a large piece of plexi at the cabinet shop and I would joke to my co-workers to “put it on the glass”. I then got the idea to paint directly on plexi and wanted to try both sides knowing the thickness would create some sort of depth perception thing. I’ve been painting on plexi (not exclusively) for the past couple of years. The subject matter is probably the same things I would’ve painted if I was 9 years old. I think the real beauty of the plexi is that it makes the piece look like it’s manufactured because of the smooth and plastic texture. Sexy plexy.

RA: You’ve done some beautiful illustrations of track bike riders. How does biking influence your work, and vice versa?

Lamour: Biking has always been a big influence ever since the days of bmx riding as a kid and track bikes now. Both sort of feed each other. I consider cycling an art form in itself. The simplest act of commuting to work can be like making art. Picking lines and just being free. Isn’t that what art is anyway? Riding always keeps the creative channels open. People that have artistic blocks should just get on a bicycle and ride. I know I’ll get flack from fellow cyclists but I tend to ride outside of the bike lanes and I don’t necessarily follow rules of the road. So in theory, you can say I paint like I ride and I ride like I paint.

RA: What’s the process from start to finish on one of your sculptures? You really cranked out a Madball while watching a shitty movie?

Lamour: Alot of times…it starts out as boredom. I got some clay and my hands start making something I’ve had embedded in head the past couple of days. I usually start the core with tin foil, wire mesh, and then start layering with the clay. Bake it then I either paint or just leave. The madball was done while watching a shitty Denzel movie. Can you imagine if I got ambitious? My friend Jeremy in California is starting to cast a few of these sculpts and we also have a few characters being released under Mutant Massacre.

RA: What’s the story on that eyeball helmet? How often do you rock that?

Lamour: That eyeball helmet is an art trade with an amazing artist I met on flickr. Elmer Presslee is his name and the guy is kind of like a mad scientist with all of his creations. He and I share very similar tastes in art except he is way more ambitious than me as I still have to give him something for it. I’m working on it though. Check out his website because it’s f-ing rad.

I wear that thing quite often. Sometimes to the supermarket, or skate to get coffee. I’ve started to document the accounts just to remember people’s expressions when they see a giant walking eyeball. Elmer built a breathing tube inside so I can theoretically drink out of the rear optic nerves that looks like a bloody Steven Segal pony tail.

RA: Describe a typical day for us.

Lamour: wake up late for work. Ride to work about 5 miles one way. I’ll design for clients the majority of the day. Take the long route home. I’ll play with my daughter whose 4 till she goes to bed and then I paint till 2 or 3 in the morning. Pretty boring, huh?

RA: What are you digging lately?

Lamour: Toys have always been a big influence but the last couple of years, it’s strictly been Japanese vinyl toys known as Kaiju. Everything from the old school kaiju like Godzilla to the new school kaiju like RealxHead and Gargamel. A store that specializes in Kaiju in SF called Super 7 has a message board that all types of kaiju lovers can sink their teeth into. I also have been trying to tattoo lately. I bought a kit on ebay, ha ha. My friend Seth who owns Funhouse Tattoos in San Diego has been giving me some pointers over the phone and email. He also said that I should never mention his name if anyone asks where I learned the trade. No one out here wants to apprentice me part time because every shop I go to says that I can’t do this thing part time, that it’s a lifestyle. I can definitely see that. So right now it’s just a hobby messing around on fake skin. Maybe someday.

I’ve also been skating more lately. I just bought an old Zorlac Pushead board with Indy 215s and big ass wheels like 60 somethings. It’s got rails and everything. Huge. The first time I got on it and skated down the block it kind of felt like I was on a couch or something. I forgot what it was like to ride a board with a shape and go really fast. I actually find I’m skating with some flow style because of it.

RA: What are you working on these days?

Lamour: I’m so busy that I don’t know where to begin. I’ve got an upcoming Super 7 Art show in the spring that I’m working on. About a dozen collaborations with other artists. Some paintings to do for Mishka clothing label in their new retail space. I also have a limited edition print, shirt and 2 figure set coming out with the Japanese toy company Real X Head. The prints going to be plexi. 1 color, probably black outline on the front. I will then airbrush the colors on the back. Only 20 sets available. I’m really psyched about this as I’ve been a fan of RxH a while now.

RA: What do you do outside of drawing and painting?

Lamour: As busy as I am, not much right now. I do architectural design at work but I consider that drawing. I spend as much free time as I can with my daughter. She’s 4 now but ever since she was born, I would take her everywhere on Fridays. Just me and her. We would go to the Bronx Zoo and ride on the Camels. Now she just wants to play with daddy every waking moment. She dominates my free time when she’s awake. I also like catching up on much needed sleep whenever I can.

RA: Where else can we check out your work?

Lamour: apologies to anyone in advance I forgot.

L’amour Supreme on flickr
Super7
Trackosaurus Rex
Toybot Studios
Fig Lab
Kustom Kulture Gallery
Mishka Bloglin
Galactic Jesus

RA: Anything else we should know about?

Lamour: The Force. It’s always with you, but you have to be present for it to manifest. So stay present so the force may be with you. That’s it.

RA: Thanks for the interview!

All photos and artwork from L’amour Supreme on flickr.