Meet Ethan Kotch | Pop-Art Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ethan Kotch and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ethan, what inspires you?

Los Angeles has definitely been the biggest inspiration behind my art and is what continues to fuel my artistic voice. When I moved here from Conway, Arkansas 7 years ago, I was immediately enamored by the varied architecture, the array of different cultures and people I encountered, and the lush landscape and plants growing throughout the city. It was so different from what I grew up around, and it’s also so vastly different from one neighborhood to the next. I began to see faces in the buildings around me, thinking of them as characters with their own unique stories rather than inanimate feats of design. That’s when the light bulb in my head turned on. This city is art, and I wanted to reimagine it in a way that feels both cute and light hearted, but also dark and chaotic at the same time. Because isn’t that what this city is, an interplay of contrasts? It’s the fusion of the wealthy and the poor, of people taking a risk to follow their dreams and those that have darker motives to take advantage, or simply a quiet meditation in Griffith Park that can later be followed by a seedy warehouse party downtown. All of these elements, whether good, bad, happy, sad, up, down, left, right are all what make this city what it is and why I am constantly inspired the moment I step foot outside of my little apartment on Hollywood Blvd.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

My journey as an artist has been anything but linear. I began painting in a professional capacity back in 2018 where I developed my first cohesive body of work. It was a time of exploration for me, I was solidifying my artistic style and voice and later had my first art showcase in 2019, followed by another showcase and exhibition in early 2020. I was really starting to feel the momentum and was excited for what the future was unveiling. Then Covid hit. I went through a difficult breakup, and I found myself falling into a depression.

Creatively depleted and spending weeks on end staring at a blank canvas, I decided to switch gears and began working for A1000xBetter, an interior design firm in Pasadena. I found my creativity rekindled and later began taking classes at UCLA extension in their interior design program. I didn’t realize it at the time, but everything I was learning was equally beneficial for both my career as an interior stylist and as an artist. Classes like color theory, 2D design, and photoshop have been crucial in the development of my artistic technique and concept development.

I’m now fully back into my art and focused on a new body of work, Los Angst: Season 2. In this series, I am exploring the vibrant pulse of Los Angeles and its kaleidoscope of cultures and contradictions. I feel that we all have the capacity for light and dark energy, and I strive to find the balance between the two. This is a very personal series, diving into my own experience within the city and creating concepts that strike a universal cord. I’m now 4 pieces in, and excited again for my path as an artist and what the future holds.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Where to start. Los Angeles has so many amazing places to see, restaurants to visit, and people to encounter. I think I’d start us off with brunch on a beautiful outdoor patio at Alcove in Los Feliz. My favorite thing to get here are their blackened salmon tacos and a mimosa (how original). After brunch I’d take us up to the Griffith Observatory, which is my favorite building in the city with some of the most expansive views you’ll find. You can even catch the ocean on a clear day. After that we’d make our way down the mountain into Griffith Park, lay out a blanket, turn on some music, and dive into a heated game of cards mixed with good conversation and laughter. Next, you can’t leave the east side without grabbing a drink at Akbar in Silver Lake, which is my favorite gay bar in the city and full of interesting people to meet and dance beside.

Next up, the beach! But first, let’s take a hike at Malibu Creek State Park, just outside of Calabasas. Serene plains, beautiful foliage, and a watering hole at the end make for a great way to cleanse the busyness of the city before making your way to the shore. There are so many great beaches in Los Angeles, but my favorite spot is off of Broad Beach Rd in Malibu where you’ll find a nice break from tourism and enjoy the cool water with locals. After getting some sun and the much needed salty air, I’d take us to Neptune’s Net just north of Malibu. This is a famous spot by the water full of bikers and beach goers with some of the freshest seafood on the coast. Don’t leave without trying their french fries and tartar sauce.

This is just a slice of the multitude of things to do in this city, but a great place to start and they all get my stamp of approval.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I’m going to be greedy here for a second. I can’t name just one person. So here’s two:

The first is Louisxxx (Louis Cannizzaro), a local Los Angeles artist whose work is what set me on a path to discover my own artistic voice and style. I went to a gallery showing back in 2017 and was immediately drawn to his paintings. There was something so fun, lighthearted, and youthful about them – it reminded me to not lose sight of the child inside of me who was begging to be set free again. It also made me realize that I don’t need to paint hyper realistic images in order to be a good artist and that I could use simple characters to exhibit powerful messages.

The second is David Szabo, a singer/songwriter living in Los Angeles who is originally from Budapest, Hungary. While we both come from two very different places, our journeys and paths to and within this city are very similar. There is something very motivating and exciting about knowing someone who has had to overcome some of the same obstacles that you yourself overcame. Having camaraderie and support within this city can make all the difference in your path to following your dreams.

Website: www.ethankotch.com

Instagram: @ethankotch

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ethanckotch/

Image Credits
Ethan Kotch