Caravan Swim Club Mural

At the new Caravan Swim Club, we collaborated on an original mural with The Los Angeles River — artist Stephen Carballo’s interdisciplinary collective that spans everything from fine art installations to tattoos. Stop by the CSC to see the original work he created for us, inspired by the free-spirited soul of June.

How Hotel June vibe, branding, neighborhood oriented the creative process and the final artwork ?

I feel the inspiration of the hotel is very much up the same alley of the subject matter of my work. Almost all my work reflects nature, the California lifestyle, and surf and skate culture which lines up with Hotel June. Also it just so happens I went to design school directly across the street at Otis College of Art and Design so it was very refreshing to be back in my old neighborhood!

It’s hard to put you in a box. Tattoos, installations, mural, streetwear … Who are you, what’s your background ?

Haha! Yes I like to say I am a multidisciplinary artist. I started with painting, moved into tattooing, then onto apparel and now I am doing alot of automotive stuff, I tend to do anything and everything that inspires me at the time.

How do you switch from one medium to another ? Is the creative process similar ?

I would say the one skill that transcends through all the mediums I work with is my ability to problem solve. Whether it be a large mural, a realistic tattoo, or restoring a vintage car, in my head it is just solving a problem one step at a time. Breaking up my goal into actionable steps and working through it. I think my aesthetic and style comes through regardless of what the project is.

How do you impulse and maintain the unique balance of both originality and tradition in your craft ?

I have a very traditional foundation of art and design due to my education. I can draw well, and have a solid understanding of composition and design fundamentals. My style however is very free and the subject matter of my work is very much impulsive and dependent on the vibe I am feeling at the time. I feel that since I do have that solid foundation and art background I can feel free to express myself in my work and it will still come out with proper “execution”. They say you have to learn the rules before you can break them.