LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Contemporary artist 'hero' creates socially charged images with his blend of mixed media and spray paint.
"Space and the next frontier and what it's like to just be pushing boundaries...I really wanted to incorporate that into the design that I created for Spark of Love," said hero.
"And I thought, what a cool blend of peace on Earth and then beyond Earth. So it's very relevant to this time period...this time of year and then the different concepts that I've been exploring in my own artwork."
ABC7 partnered with Smile South Central to identify muralists willing to donate their time and talent for our 30th annual Spark of Love Toy Drive.
Hero continued, "I typically work in spray paint, even different types of spray paint. I've recently been using a lot of water based spray paint."
"My artists journey has been a journey over 10 years, and I feel like I've just been following the breadcrumbs."
"One thing led to another. I would love to say I intentionally tried to get to certain places, but the right thing seems to fit. Like the right year."
Hero's newest work isn't quite beyond Earth, but it is pretty high up!
"In this past year, I was able to paint in the US Bank Building on the top floors...the 72nd floor. That's the artwork that you see behind me."
"I never actually know what the next things going to bring. A lot of times I'm painting mural works and much larger pieces of artwork in as many public spaces is I can."
"I really appreciate public art and giving back to the community, and making it look a lot better than just gray and white walls."
You can send children some holiday joy by purchasing the exclusive hero-designed t-shirt at abc7.com/shop.
ABC7 will donate 100% of its proceeds from the sale of the hero's t-shirt to support Spark of Love.
