Meet Anthony Fuentes | Artist & Designer

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

Hi Anthony, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Throughout my experience as an artist I’ve learned that balancing your talents is one of the most important things to succeed. I’ve spent time creating video art, ceramic art, fashion, and painting and I’ve learned that it’s all about devoting the right amount of time to each. Sometimes I will get an idea for a painting and I will complete it from start to finish without working on anything else. There will also be times where I will get an order for a set of tie dyed t shirts and I really won’t work on anything else until it’s finished. Then when I complete the project I will get an idea for a new painting, It’s an even distribution of talent amongst my traits that keeps me interested and happy with what I do. There have been times where I paint for months until I’m bored with it and it starts to feel forced and almost like a chore.. that is a problem. Everything I create comes out better when it flows out of me. The work ends up looking better and I feel better with the outcome.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
One of the things that sets me apart from others is my 1 of 1 garment pieces. A lot of the times I see brands coming through the shop, they make hundreds of the same t-shirts and there’s nothing wrong with that. I want my garment pieces to be more special like something no one else has. It’s crazy when you buy a jacket or a tee and you wear it out and you see someone else wearing the same piece. I want the people who buy my pieces to feel like they are the only ones that have it but also be able to distinguish that it’s my distinct style also. It is also very cool that I get to print out my own designs at my job. I was lucky enough to find the job through friends and connections. That’s one of the important things about the art industry. Getting out there and going to art events and pop ups that you wouldn’t otherwise go to can benefit you in the end. You really never know who you might meet and where it can take you.
One of the things I want people to know about me and my art is that it comes from humble beginnings. My parents are first generation and they worked really hard for my sister and I to live a good life here in Los Angeles. My work ethic comes from growing up and seeing how hard they worked all their lives to achieve buying their own home and being able to keep us happy. It makes me want to work harder to make them proud. Everything I sell goes towards growing my brand as a self sustained artist and designer and I try to pay it back to all my fellow peers.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
A week is not enough time to truly enjoy LA but if that’s all you have I would eat out as much as possible. One great spot to eat is my friend Wes Aliva’s restaurant called Angry Egret located in Chinatown. It is a cool spot to have a casual lunch and is in a chill location. Super bomb sandwiches and weekly changes in the menu. Never gets old. Another one of Wes’s restaurants is Ka’Teen in Hollywood. This place feels like you are eating in the jungles of Tulum. The vibe is so dope there, great outdoor ambiance. Perfect place to take your date to. If you are in LA and looking for some new digs I would suggest Tekton LA(the shop I work at). We have the best quality blanks and everything is made in LA. We specialize in “direct to garment” printing and also handle same day services. If you come through Tekton you can also check out Inflamed which is my homie Boxx’s store. They have some of the best streetwear in Los Angeles and it’s right next door to Tekton. If you’re looking to spark up and are in need of some leaf or a vape, a few stores down is FlameBoy smoke shop owned by my homie North Star. They have got all the LooseLeaf you can get and they also offer some of the dopest apparel I’ve seen come out of a smoke shop.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
.A person who has always had my back and has supported me is my mom Elva Fuentes. Ever since my younger years painting she’s encouraged me to express myself creatively. I grew up watching her work as a personal custom framer and as a kid she would frame my little drawings. It really did inspire me to create more. Seeing the clients coming through her job and dropping money to put their work into expensive frames had me thinking that it made those art works that much more special. And for my mom to put my work into that same category as a kid gave me a push to pursue the artistic route. To this day my mom will help me frame and mount my new works. It makes me really happy. Another form of encouragement I get and something I really want to thank for my inspiration is the culture. Working in downtown Los Angeles as a production manager at Tekton LA (a blanks and dtg print shop) I get to see where streetwear fashion culture and also high fashion is going. It is inspiring to get to see all the brands that come through the shop and it’s amazing to collaborate with some of the brands with my garment dye work. I love being able to elevate a brand with my creativity and also get to be inspired by seeing something I would not have been able to see elsewhere. Working out of downtown Los Angeles, where all of the LA fashion comes out of is great and shout-out to Tekton LA for being a great hub for creatives.

Website: https://tektonla.com/collections/furdye

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Image Credits
📸@Jvl1an