Alvarez-Tostado in his apartment surrounded by some of his art. Photos by Sarah Bennett.
Abe Alvarez-Tostado is a Long Beach-bred artist that has remained truly under the radar in his own hometown. Inspired by skaters-turned-artists like Mark Gonzalez, he started his career painting over skateboard grip tapes and silkscreening characters on t-shirts while still attending high school in Long Beach.
“I was really into comic books and the drawing found in them, so I started painting on skate decks–just experimenting,” he says. “We would raid trash cans of the local skate shops and find their cut decks to paint on. Today, I guess it could be called ‘upcycling,’ but we just needed something to paint on then.”
Though he developed his surreal pop-Cubism style as a comic-book obsessed teenage skateboarder, Alvarez-Tostado soon moved to San Francisco, where he became part of a growing scene of graffiti and street artists (including Doze Green and Greg “Pnut” Galinsky) who during the 90s had shows in major galleries and sold pieces at fine art prices to dot-com moguls.
After nearly two decades of painting and selling his work alongside underground urban artists in San Francisco, however, Alvarez-Tostado returned to Long Beach four years ago, but says he has struggled to find a similar audience for his painted skate decks and colorful canvases, which today take up every inch of free space in the Downtown apartment he shares with his wife.
“I tried to have shows, but I couldn’t sell my work,” he says of his time back in Long Beach, a city that is home to two art walks and numerous galleries. “Everyone says they like looking at my art, but no one wants to buy.”
Accustomed to being a working artist who makes a living off selling pieces, Alvarez-Tostado started looking into other art-friendly cities like Palm Springs, where his mother and sister both live.
Several galleries and well-known curators in the desert art community have already expressed interest in showing his work and so this weekend, he and his wife are making the move to what they hope will be their permanent hometown, adding their names to the long list of talented locals who have chosen to pursue more solid opportunities elsewhere.
But before he goes, he’s giving Long Beach one last chance to purchase some of his work, which has mostly remained unseen to the public. Though he only averaged one show a year since returning to Long Beach, Alvarez-Tostado has continued creating at a rapid pace, meaning most of his recent art has never left the apartment where it was created.
Today, his pieces run the gamut from illustrated skateboard decks to covered-up tequila bottles to dream-like scenes painted on traditional canvases, some of which are as big as an entire wall. And in preparation for his move, he’s offering some of his works at a steep discount–half price and beyond–for anyone willing to come by and take a look.
“I have my own style that doesn’t fit into anything. I’m in my own category. I’m the wild card,” he says. “I’m not a pop surrealist, I’m not a grafitti artist. I’m just a painter. I like to paint.”
For more about Abe’s art, visit abetheartist.com. Email abetheartist@gmail.com for more information on how to buy works before he leaves town this weekend.