Josh “Shag” Agle

Josh Agle started out working as a commercial
illustrator. His grandfather proved to have a comfortable life as an illustrator,
and that inspired him to consider it as a career. Josh became a very proficient
commercial illustrator. He wasn’t very well known until he started doing personal
paintings and showing them in galleries. In 1997, Josh had done his first solo
gallery show. The success of his shows only began to increase. It became his
life’s work. Today, Shag (Josh’s self proclaimed nickname) continues to paint
every day of the week. His line up of shows seems to have no end in sight.

Josh’s art is heavily influenced by the illustrations of the late 1950′s
to the mid 60′s, more specifically the commercial advertisements of
that era. He goes on to explain, “Back then, a lot of magazine ads, TV commercials,
and product packaging had sort of cubist-cartoonish look, which I’ve appropriated
and expanded upon for these Shag paintings.”

His use of vivid and highly saturated color seems to reflect the psychedelic
colors popular in the 60′s. His colors are certainly well chosen to match
the mood and assist in telling the “story.” Crisp lines and graceful
curves are of abundance in any one of Shag’s masterpieces. His environments
have wonderful details, all while not being distracting.

I really appreciate Josh Agle’s stylization. His characters are drawn
in an unrealistic fashion, breaking all the rules. But his consistency and development
of that style is so enjoyable to look at. Josh’s flat rendering of the
characters is often contrasted by a slightly textured background.

Shag’s famous tikis are something to behold. These statues are
brought to life on the two dimensional plane. Their expressions are always priceless,
and assist in telling the “story.” He even has created a few sets
of limited edition tiki glasses and accompanying print. Shag merchandising is
a popular commodity of those that enjoy collecting from the modern era.