Howell developed a self-described “loose, weird style” while attending punk shows in the Bay Area and entering zine culture in the 1980s and 1990s. Looking at the characters Howell painted, the viewer senses a rough, joyful, edgy, playful essence permeating the characters, even as they sometimes express sadness, frustration or boredom that we all experience. When asked if he always pursues an overarching theme of depicting the human condition, Howell joked: “It’s all about me. Seriously though, if you’re not fully invested in your work, then it’s not about you, so I try to put myself into it. I don’t like doing political art or anything like that. I get angry, like you do: I just don’t want to draw it all day long. I’m angry enough, and art is what brings me joy, so I like to compartmentalize it.”
Drawing people and animals—especially dogs, for which Howell has clearly always had a soft spot (“I just love the love they give you, you know? I always have. It’s pure.”)—helped bring Howell joy. But he attributes his success to the DIY punk spirit that Howell still carries to this day.
Take the original story of his involvement with Bob’s Burgers: “I was working at a coffee shop in Mission[San Francisco]and a friend of mine introduced me to this guy, Loren (Bouchard, creator of Bob’s Burgers), who came in every morning for coffee and said, ‘This is what makes Katz Doctors and guys who make home movies,’ and I thought, ‘Oh, man, I love these shows, so I started rapping with him and eventually handed him my magazine and we just started a relationship, and Loren was just into this loose, weird art, which was what I was interested in.”
From there, Howell worked on the YouTube short “Forest City Rock,” about a motorcycle gang who owned a motorcycle, which caught the attention of Audrey Diehl, then working at Nickelodeon, and successfully promoted the animated series “Sanjay and Craig,” which ran for three seasons. During this period, Howell was always moving, painting, and traveling.
“I shoot free portraits at festivals across the country, create zines and distribute them for free (or five bucks), because I still have Fugazi in my blood. “
These days, Howell is discussing some new TV ideas with the folks at Bento Box Productions, but just like he did in his coffee shop magazine days, he’s insisting on pitching his stuff to as many people as possible just to see what sticks, which includes calling random companies himself, even if they’re outside of his control. “I just finished working at Chipotle, and I love working for a company like Vans, or any company that naturally fits my style, like a skate or surf kind of vibe. But, I mean, I’ll call companies that you don’t necessarily think would be a good fit, just because. I’d call Hermes or Chanel. Why not? You have to try because you don’t know what’s going to stick.”
For Howell, putting the work out there at the same time means making it accessible to everyone: “That’s my DIY punk ethic. I always try to keep my work affordable, like, I could sell something for thirty thousand dollars or so, but I would never do that, I shoot free portraits at festivals all over the country, I make zines and give them away for free (or five bucks) because I still have Fugazi in my blood.”
“I don’t want to sell a thirty-thousand-dollar painting. I’d rather make a thirty-thousand-dollar mural that serves the community. I hate things like Burning Man, where you spend an entire year making this expensive piece of art that only the wealthy people who can afford expensive tickets to go to the desert and be part of the scene see—that’s not my style at all.” I’d rather have something solid in the community that everyone can enjoy forever. ”*
Jay Howell’s next solo exhibition will open in January at 111 Minna Gallery in San Francisco. Find a preview of them here.
This article was originally published in High Fructose Issue 74. Get a print copy of the full issue here.
