6
UPFRONT
PHX » CITY » LOCAL » PRIDE » DO » SEE
‘HARD WORK AND FAITH’
J. Pierce brightens the world with the stroke of a brush By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
J
. Pierce sits on the sofa of his Gilbert home donning black pants, a playful Lo-Lo’s Chicken & Waffles T-shirt he designed, and colorful shoes that pop. The cream-colored walls are bare, which is surprising for the prolific artist who has sold his Keith Haring-like artwork to likes of rapper Rick Ross and Arizona Coyotes President and Chief Executive Officer Xavier Gutierrez. “Anytime I put up artwork, I always end up selling it,” Pierce says with a shrug. He’s working on T-shirts for Monroe’s Hot Chicken, which is owned by Lo-Lo’s. Pierce is one of Arizona’s best-kept secrets. Besides his work for Ross and Gutierrez, Pierce designed T-shirts for Samuel L. Jackson and artwork for former professional baseball player Howie Kendrick, who lives in Phoenix. Pierce’s work, particularly for Jackson, led to mentions on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” “It was cool when Jimmy Kimmel gave me a shoutout,” Pierce says with his trademark wide smile. “He said I was an Arizona artist. There are always California artists, New York or Miami artists, Chicago artists. It’s cool to represent Arizona. “It’s been awesome, man. I originally started out doing art walks, like the Chandler Art Walk, and selling my paintings for $20 or $40. Now I’m seeing my artwork sell for hundreds and thousands.”
LIVING IN THE ‘HOOD’ As a child, Pierce split his time between California and Chicago after his parents separated. He attended high school and college in San Jose. In Chicago, he lived in the “hood,” as he calls it, where he learned to hustle and paint T-shirts for gangsters. “I never messed around in that (gang life), but I was always protected,” he says. “They liked me because I skateboarded and lived in the hood in Chicago. “But there would be barbecues every other day with my family. So, I would be in Chicago, going Downtown and being in the city. Then, living in San Jose, it
had the whole Cali vibe.” He discovered penciling and sketching at age 15, when he was in foster care as his parents were going through “tough times,” he says. They went their own ways, and Pierce spent two years in foster care. He, in turn, basically emancipated soon thereafter. “In high school, I started painting custom clothing — like painting on shoes, shirts and dress shirts,” Pierce says. “I’d wear it to school, and all my friends asked where I found the stuff. It led to painting on canvases.” In high school, he was inspired to start his own brand by LRG owner Jonas Bevacqua, who died of natural causes in 2011. “He was one of the biggest streetwear brands,” he says. “I’d send him my art and show him. He emailed me and said to keep up the good work, keep doing my thing. He sent me free gear. That inspired me through those times in foster care.” He moved to Anthem at age 18 and worked at Anthem stores like Docker’s, Quicksilver and Columbia Sportswear. Besides participating in the Chandler Art Walk, he was part of the jury. “I had a business partner who I was
working with in Anthem,” Pierce says. “He was a business partner and investor who was going to help me get my brand and my art to the next level. Nothing really panned out, and we parted ways.” He stayed in the Valley, however. He moved to Gilbert in 2008. Pierce has collaborated with a slew of local businesses, restaurants and organizations. He encourages his clients to share their art direction, and he takes it from there. “We created a limited-edition shirt that can be purchased at any of the LoLo’s Chicken & Waffles stores,” he says. “It’s pretty cool because I’ve never collaborated with a restaurant. And to see the staff walking around with my shirt and my name on it, it was so cool.” When the Arizona Coyotes hosted Hockey Fights Cancer Night on April 19, he created a special sneaker for several players — Captain Oliver
