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‘Jimmy J’ Jennings
y e a r s
LoC a L h e roe s
aPPareL artist About a decade ago, a new wave of pop art designs began crashing onto the Santa Barbara scene. California’s bear flag surfed across T-shirts, Isla Vista reggae bands and Halloween celebrations waved onto flags, and neighborhoods, from Ellwood to the Mesa to Butterfly Beach, cruised upon trucker hats. The culprit? A Mesa-raised, UCSB-educated, selftrained artist known to most simply as “Jimmy J,” whose decision to ditch day-to-day sales work in order to follow his heart has drowned California’s beach and music scenes in quirky yet distinctive apparel. “I am passionate about creating art and seeing people rock it!” explained Jimmy J, who started making surfing bear shirts for various coastal cities in about 2005, moved onto Isla Vista bands soon thereafter, and now makes mostly hats out of his designs. “I am forever grateful when I leave the house and see somebody wearing something I designed. It’s not something on a wall or shelf of a house that few will see, but worn with pride for many to see because it captures an essence of something that person loves, often something I love.” The line, which he sells through ivcomics.com, does help pay the bills for Jimmy J, who has a 2-year-old son with his wife, a nurse. “I feel blessed,” he said. “I found a niche.” But it’s the enthusiasm of others that cash the biggest checks. “I don’t believe I am a great artist, but I believe I am good at reaching the heart and soul of many artistically,” he said. “When I see that stoke in their eyes and the smile on their face, that fuels the creative fire within me.”
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NovEmbEr 25, 2015
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