Aicher-www.planetsixtysev en.com's photostream  

I started into art as young kid who mostly loved to color, draw army guys, and play with legos (my parents bought a large bulk set of legos for me when they first came out in the 70’s). I was not much of an athelete, but it was Southern California in the early seventies and all the kids on on the block rode Big Wheels and bicycles. We all loved Evel Kennevil and built jump ramps. Skateboards until then were either made from old metal “Roller Derby” rollerskates or you had a Black Knight board with “Rock” wheels (some Black Knights had metal wheels too.) One week the whole block suddenly got into surf culture. Our hobby shop got in the new Cadillac Wheels made with urathene that gripped the road. My birthday was comming up so after some time I asked my folks if I could get a skateboard. We went to Toys r Us first and got a Makaha (Orange plastic deck/ rock wheels) board. I told my dad about the new wheels, and we went to the hobby shop and they had even newer wheels... Road Riders and new percision bearings that did’nt click when they rolled and wider California Slolom Trucks. I was stoked to get mine. That summer we all got the new Boogie Boards at ET surf too. Durring the summer, one kid was picked for dawn patrol to check the waves (we were 3 blocks or so from the beach) in the morning. If the surf was not happening, we skated or played G.I. Joes.

Every kid on the block looked for the loudest, fastest rock and roll we could find. We all had Sweet’s Desolation Blvd. and early Kiss records we found out about by going to Shamrock Roller Rink in Torrance, CA. We also read Mad Magazine, Odd Rods and Sports Super freaks Gum Cards, and Marvel Comics we got at the liquor store after paper routes, Creem, Circus, Skateboarder, Surfer and Car Toons Magazines we got from mom at the grocery store (Lucky’s usually...). We also traded Redline Hot Wheels and Baseball cards too. I would spend hours drawing Kiss pictures from the magazine pictures and album covers. What I liked the most about Kiss was the make up they wore as it was a challenge to draw and get right. There was the graphic shapes in the make up, and even thougher the silver make up that took lots of practice with shading to get to look like shiney glitter.

Into the 80’s. Times were changing. With the confusion of puberty and a family melt down I was soon in the grips of depression. My uncle Don was always listening to what I thought was “weird” music. (Bowie and Iggy and the Stooges etc...) one day I decided to open my mind and borrow some of his records. My fiends and I were listening to the Sex Pistols and Ramones. He lent me The New York Dolls, Raw Power by the Stooges, The Germs No God single, and that chirstmas he gave me Phil Spector’s Christmas lp and The Velvet Underground and Nico Lp. Here was Warhol’s famous lp cover. The Germs’ minmal Blue circle logo and Ray pettibon’s Jealous Again cover and Gary Panters' Jimbo comics and covers for the Plugz and more. A light went on for me that I could make this kind of art. All this imagery and new ideas. With Punk every new thing was old by the next week and dubbed “Trendy” and the music was not only fast and hard, but new too.

After Finishing High School in the mid 80’s I eventually wound up working as a graphic designer for print shops and worked weekends at Peanut Records in Lomita (I could draw flyers for local bands as I worked the register at Peanut, and get them made at the print shop....) I made lots of flyers. Towards the end of the 80’s I Started working as an Illustrator and Designer for an action sports clothing company and for the entertainment industry as well. I was surrounded at work with the the art of Rick Reitveld as the benchmark for what we were out to paint like. My boss there early on was Tom “Bigtoe” Laura. I brought in tattoo magazines and the catalog from the laguna Kustom Culture Show and tried my best to make hot rod rat fink Big Daddy Roth style art mixed with tattoo influence. Problem was we were a surf company. It was even harder with the “Rat Fink” thing working for big entertianment companies...

Eventually Kustom Culture had it’s day, and even those big companies wanted “Fink” art. Now I was in trouble.... Was I going to hand over the art I did for “fun” to the Man? Not to worry... the enconomy was soon to take a dive and kill the in house art departments. So, now downsized... now what? Start your own company! If not NOW then WHEN? So (with help from my mom and stepdad) I built “PlanetSixtySeven.com” sometime in early 2009.

Who knows what’s next, but along the way I met my wife Sharon at a Gardena keg party with Pennywise and Generator (bands I did flyers for then...) Nirvana was going to be on SNL for the first time that night, so we went to my apartment to watch it. 18 years later she’s still here with me in Pedro in our cottage house with our 2 dogs Chet and Coco (...and formerly with Daisy, rest in peace Daisy and Uncle Don Underwood). I can’t imagine life without her. She’s (needless to say) my biggest inspiration.

So I still collect Hot Wheels (mostly older “Redline” ones and ones designed by Larry Wood) They still have a big influence on my art as there are new designs all the time, and you can pick what you like, and leave the ones you don’t. I also love to collect guitars and art books of all kinds and art history. I love swap meets and garge sales and “collector” TV shows like American Pickers and Pawn Stars. I love collecting Japanese “Godzilla” and “Ultraman” style toys (Kaiju) and old metal lunchboxes (I started painting by hand due to the art in my lunchbox collection). I made a nice vinyl record collection over the years too.

The advice I give to anyone who wants to be an artist is this. The most important thing is that you are inspired enough and have the urgh to paint and draw ALL the time... if you do you will learn skills on the way. A lifetime into art and I learn more everyday.

I hope you will buy some of my art. I try and make both affordable and “very affordable” art so anyone can buy it. (even if you are on a budget). Everything you buy at my shop helps me personally, and my teacher wife Sharon, and Coco and Chet get new treats too. So don’t be shy we have art we’d love you to buy. Here’s where to find our shop: Shop.PlanetSixtySeven.com
Website: www.planetsixtyseven.com
Email: aichertime@sbcglobal.net

Many Thanks, and Lots of Love
Happy Trails!

Scott Aicher