Shawn O'Keefe

Where he came from: Born in Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. Grew up on a dairy farm in a little rented cabin with hippie/blue collar folks.

Influences: San Francisco comic book art scene (R. Crumb, Robert Williams, Zap comics crew). Got into hip hop from the release of License to Ill. This made me even more strange in the eyes of fellow schoolmates who were at the time into 80's Metal. Played in Punk band with friends in mid eighties and drew lots of blood, sex and mutants.

How Shawn ended up where he is today: Went to art school in the early nineties. Met lots of my current art cohorts there. Began working in a Screen-printing shop in the mid nineties where I learned and honed my chops as a graphic artist (10 years!). I also really got into graffiti then. I started bombing with a crew called KSA and missed a lot of sleep with fellow writer Demoe1. Started to get more involved in the local art scene as we broke into the new millennium. Lucky to be a part of some shows that started to put Victoria on the map for it's young talented artists. The Because Show, The Glue Factory, The Natural Low, The Feast...they were overflowing with super sick talent and I met so many people there that shared in the passion for what I do everyday...living it in the same way.

I've been working in the board sports industry now for almost 8 years. I do a lot of magazine illustration and design work for hard & softgoods. I continue to pursue new ground as a painter working both as a solo artist and a founding member of the Woodpile Collective. Graphic Design, Fine Art and Music is what keeps me alive and Vancouver Island is where I live it.

Check out more of Shawn's work at www.Trust36.com

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