John Lathrop

Pop culture is family. We grew up with our movies, our music, our novels, our TV, our video games. Pop culture can provide positive influence, impact, and comfort, especially that which is nostalgic. In this spirit, I utilize pop culture as my primary subject matter to conjure feelings of warmth, joy, and humor by adding fun, unexpected twists (the Mod) and shining brightly-colored lights (the Pop) on the people, places, and things (the Art) so many of us have admired and adored throughout our lives. And I do it without judgment or commentary, but with genuine reverence, homage, and love.

In my mixed-media approach, I combine organically hand-painted digital artwork with graphic design techniques to create my vibrant, colorful clean-line style. Drawing inspiration primarily from pop culture, my graphic portrait and poster work breathes new life into classic and current references, putting a fun, original spin on pop surrealism, often with a twist of humor and absurdist parody. Also inspired by mosaic art, much of my recent work explores patterns, shapes, and color, specifically the beautiful dichotomy between the harmony of meticulously gradiented monochromatic hues and chaotic randomness. The result, I hope, is bold and striking eye-candy, with a vibe that feels vintage, yet unmistakably modern.