Jay Howell
By Dani Kando-Kaiser
Photos by Matthew Hummel
Artwork by Jay
Jay
Howell is watching the Simpsons, and he’s not very happy.
The strange hot winds that have graced our fair city have been
wreaking havoc with his respiratory system, and he hasn’t
been able to get much work done today. Jay is a young Sacramento
artist, whose work is mostly of the painting and illustrating
variety. Since his current studio is a bedroom, and since the
window in his room is broken, the wind has ruined any chance
of his getting any painting or drawing done for a while. Taking
refuge in my living room, he was kind enough to rudely answer
a few questions that I had for him.
What did you do today, Jay?
I read an interview with Uma Thurman in a magazine and had some
chocolate cake.
I thought you were a vegan! There are eggs and other stuff in
that cake!
I’m not vegan when it comes to chocolate cake. What’s the deal with that hair of yours?
I’m going for the conservative Motley Crue look. I get
it cut in San Diego, but I live in Sacramento. I love the Crue. Who
are your main influences?
Oh man, there are so many. I just try to make stuff that my
friend, Chris Sullivan, will like. If he doesn’t like it
then neither do I. I also like to see colors together. I love
color, black and white too. Some people say they’re not
colors, but that’s a bunch of crap. You moved to Sacramento from the Bay Area, by way of a short
stint in Hollywood, right?
Yeah. LA’s for suckers! All Nor Cal dudes know that. What attracted you to Sacramento—other than the promise
of radness that your friends here offered you?
Cheap living and to be closer to Omnibus Records, the label
I do artwork for. Word on the street is that you’re thinking of opening
up a space downtown. What are you planning to do with it?
Have an art gallery, sell some refurbished thrift store clothes,
and have some rock shows a couple times a month. Do you have any strong opinions on the art scene in Sac,
or do you have any strong opinions at all?
There is no art scene in Sacramento or one that I care to be
a part of.
That sounds vaguely “dick-like” Jay. Perhaps you’d
care to amend your statement..
Sacramento’s totally great with tons of good up-and-coming
artists! And wicked, bad-ass rock bands! Even though I know you spend most of your life locked in
your little room, sweating over your paintings, what else does
the life of Jay Howell involve?
I do a small zine called Punks Git Cut! I don’t see myself
as strictly a painter. I try to be an artist who happens to
be a painter who happens to be a musician, and all sorts of
other stuff. I spend the bulk of my time avoiding working a
real job. Personally, I was wondering if there’s something you’re
getting at in your artwork.
There’s no real meaning or value to it I guess. It just
needs to come out.
You can contact Jay Howell at: kickuindahead@hotmail.com www.omnibusrecords.com/pgc.html
Jay
Howell is watching the Simpsons, and he’s not very happy.
The strange hot winds that have graced our fair city have been
wreaking havoc with his respiratory system, and he hasn’t
been able to get much work done today. Jay is a young Sacramento
artist, whose work is mostly of the painting and illustrating
variety. Since his current studio is a bedroom, and since the
window in his room is broken, the wind has ruined any chance
of his getting any painting or drawing done for a while. Taking
refuge in my living room, he was kind enough to rudely answer
a few questions that I had for him.
Who
are your main influences?