Tristan Eaton
"Moms Not Bombs"
In 1978, my mother Gillian Eaton gave birth to me in a birthing clinic smack in the middle of The Sunset Strip. My whole life that piece of history has drawn me to The Sunset Strip with a grand sense of nostalgia.
When asked to paint a giant Gibson Guitar for The Sunset Strip, I felt it was a great opportunity to show my mom some love and leave a lasting dedication to her in portrait form, right where my life began. The portrait of my mother is drawn from a photograph taken of her in the '60s, when she was a starring member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Since then she has had a lifelong career acting and directing Shakespeare with an unparalleled work ethic and inspiring dedication to the arts.
I painted the guitar with a combination of materials. I first covered the entire surface with wheat-pasted graphics of my work in a collage style pattern. I then spray stenciled the line art of the portrait on both sides, following up with a detailed painting of light and shadows with acrylic and brush.
Bio
Born in Los Angeles in 1978, Tristan began pursuing street art as a teenager, painting everything from billboards to dumpsters in the urban landscape wherever he lived, including London, Detroit and New York. Eaton designed his first toy for Fisher Price at 18 years old and has since become a driving force in the world of "designer toys." As a creative leader in the world of advertising, Eaton regularly consults such brands as Hasbro, Pepsi and Nike on many creative projects that span the globe and cross all mediums.
Tristan's work can be seen at the Cooper Hewitt Museum and in the permanent collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). Tristan is currently the president and creative director of Thunderdog Studios, Inc., a prominent New York based designer toy brand and creative agency and happily resides in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
