Shag (Josh Agle)
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Josh Agle (born August 31, 1962) is an American artist known by the nickname SHAG, which he first used to sign his paintings in 1987. The nickname is derived from the last two letters of his first name, and the first two letters of his last name.[1] He's best known for comical, richly-colored cocktail and tiki-themed scenes reminiscent of the slick commercial art of the 1950s to mid-1960s. SHAG started out as a freelance commercial illustrator, primarily for independent record labels, in the late 1980s and early 1990s before galleries and collectors began to take notice of his works. He had his first solo gallery exhibition in 1997,[1] and has since had other shows in the United States, Japan and Australia. He's the author and illustrator of several books about tiki culture and cocktail recipes. He spent the first eight years of his life in Oahu, Hawaii, and currently lives in the hills overlooking Southern California.
In 2005 his art was brought to the stage in Shag With A Twist, a large dance and theater production sponsored by the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department and the San Pedro City Ballet Repertory Company. The production ran for 13 weeks at the Los Angeles Theatre Center and later moved to the Aladdin Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.
He has also done some design work with Disney, including merchandise for the Enchanted Tiki Room's 40th anniversary in 2003 and for Disneyland's 50th anniversary in 2005.
Josh Agle played guitar in such bands as Swamp Zombies, The Tiki Tones, and The Huntington Cads.
Shag also illustrated the cover art for both albums and many singles by Servotron as well as several album and single covers for The Dickies.
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[edit] Selected books
- Supersonic Swingers, 2000 (Outre Gallery Press)
- Bottomless Cocktail, 2000 (La Luz de Jesus Press)
- Shag Party, 2001 (Surrey Books)
- Around the World in 80 Drinks, 2003 (Surrey Books)
- Shag's Zodiac, 2004 (Surrey Books)
- Shag: The Art of Josh Agle, 2005 (Chronicle Books)
- Shag Ltd: Fine Art Limited Editions, 2005 (Copro/Nason)
[edit] References
- ^ a b Otto Von Stroheim, Tiki Art Now!: A Volcanic Eruption of Art, Last Gasp, 2004, p83. ISBN 0867196270
