The Hollywood Bowl might be one among my favourite locations in Los Angeles – music, nature, creativity swirling within the open air beneath the celebrities – who wouldn’t like it?! You possibly can think about how over the moon I used to be when the Hollywood Bowl requested me to design the merch for the 2023 Jazz Pageant!!! This was a dream collaboration. I used to be so impressed that I instantly began sketching with a black sharpie. Despite the fact that I by no means shrink back from coloration, I wished to first conceptualize the designs in black and white to see what I used to be drawn to graphically. I wished to incorporate parts that represented the music, the artists, the viewers, and LA iconography to offer the designs a way of place. Listed below are a few of my preliminary sketches.
We finally went with these (under) and added different parts and many enjoyable, vivid coloration to make the designs pop! My designs have been impressed by the free-form, improvisational, nature of jazz music and pure parts that symbolize Los Angeles and the Hollywood Bowl – together with palm bushes, sunshine, seashells and stars. I wished the artwork to symbolize not solely the music and the musicians, but in addition the group. The dots pouring out from the Hollywood Bowl shell symbolize the viewers. The decision and response between the viewers and the musicians explodes in a magical show. The hand-drawn lettering, geometric shapes and spirals recall the Artwork Deco fashion prevalent throughout the rise of jazz. And the funky, enjoyable, good vibes that exudes from the artwork – properly, that’s the “Justina spice” that I can’t assist however sprinkle into all that I do! I hope it makes you wish to dance!
The crew on the Hollywood Bowl (shout out to Janice Bartczak and Melissa Achten!!) – very like our crew at Jungalow – is small however mighty. It was so cool to work with a crew as nimble as ours and iterate on the designs as we went alongside. Janice and Melissa even got here to the Jungalow Pop Up launch occasion (extra on that within the subsequent weblog put up!) and invited us to the Jazz Pageant a few days later. So grateful to domesticate extra inventive group!
It was such a visit to see so many lovely folks strolling round with the merch on! It felt like artwork and creativity have been connecting us all to at least one one other. The Hollywood Bowl crew additionally had the good concept so as to add BUCKET HATS to the merch line up! How freaking cute are they?!?! P.S. They bought out in 4 hours!!! 
It was so surreal to see my designs IRL at an iconic Los Angeles landmark. Nonetheless floating on a cloud from the entire expertise!!!
Thanks SO a lot to the Hollywood Bowl for this chance and for having me and my fam at this 12 months’s Jazz Pageant! Take a look at the entire assortment right here.
