When I hopped on the phone with emerging artist Matt Furie to talk about his upcoming show of new work with Albert Reyes at Giant Robot, I was a little nervous. The hyper colorful pieces on his Web site—often small-scale love notes to '80s icons—appear to be the work of someone who is smart, funny and cool...kind of like J.D. from "Heathers." Would he think that my question about Falcor was silly? Or wonder how much I really know Pee-Wee's Playhouse? It turned out I had nothing to fear from this triple threat. Chatting with Furie makes time fly. It also makes you laugh out loud a lot—kind of like taking in his artwork.

So when I ask whether he would rather spend the rest of his life in "The Neverending Story" or The Muppet Show, he gets it. "Definitely 'The Neverending Story,'" he says without missing a beat. "It's a movie all about fighting against loss of imagination and recognizing the importance of return to a land of fantasy. That's kind of what I try to do everyday in my work." Why does he choose to do small drawings instead of going big with his creepy creatures? "A professor there once told me that it doesn't matter what size your art is," Furie explains. "A piece that's the size of a ring can have just as much of an impact as a mural. I used to only do three by three inch drawings using markers or colored pencils, but now I also draw stuff that's eight by ten and eleven by fourteen. I try not to get too caught up in the details, but it's a delicate balance. When I was in school I'd always rush on leaves on trees or fur on animals, and it turns out that there are no shortcuts."

Forget about the fur. I had to ask, what's the deal with all those Ray Ban-rocking animals in his quirky pieces? "When I was little, I would alway put sunglasses and a backwards hat on my dog and take pictures of him—he was this awesome mutt named Duffy. There's just something hilarious about an animal wearing sunglasses." Oddly enough, after checking out his work and spending an hour on the phone with this pop culture prince, I know exactly what he means.

The opening reception for "Killing Time" will be held this Saturday from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at Giant Robot, 2062 Sawtelle Boulevard, (310) 445-9276.

- Caroline Stanley

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Similar Topics:'80s, art, giant robot

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