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.