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A few weeks back we told you about Phil Lumbang, the LA-based street artist/assistant to Shepard Fairey who won us over with his cute, cuddly bear images. Then as luck would have it, a friend of a friend actually knows Phil, so we were able to send him a few questions over email about his work. Also: He offered to giveaway one of his sketches to Flavorpill readers. To enter for a chance to win, just leave a comment on this post with the name of your favorite pop culture bear. Good luck!
Flavorpill: It’s been a pretty strange year for street art. The election turned people like Shepard Fairey and Ron English into household names. Is that something that excites you as someone who is just breaking in to the scene? Or is that kind of “legitimacy” not important to you?
Phil Lumbang: Ha. When you say “legitimacy,” I think “street cred,” and I don’t believe in that. I do what I do because it’s fun. I’m a really easy going person so validation isn’t that important to me. It’s may seem kinda selfish, but the only one who I’m trying to impress is myself. If I don’t like what I’m doing then it’s not worth it.
FP: What is it about bears that you find so compelling?
PL: That’s a good question. Being born and raised in California, I guess it’s the flag. But honestly, I just started drawing one day and all I could draw were these lil cute bears. I thought to myself, “Why not run with it?” I have twin sister who’s not that much younger than me, so growing up we had a lot of stuffed animals in my house. Me and the family would always go up to Reno, and we would stay at Circus Circus. While my mom and dad would gamble, we’d be on the midway trading tickets for lil stuffed animals. Oh the memories…
FP: Do you have a favorite cartoon bear?
PL: Oh boy, all I watch are cartoons. I feel like that is the only form of entertainment with any dignity left. Anything Hanna-Barbera is on the top of my list. My favorite channels are Cartoon Network and Boomerang. I’m too much of a nerd for my own good, but I love it.
FP: I read that your bears were meant to be a commentary on race. Do you see race as a major theme in the work on the streets of LA? Is having pieces that deliver a message something that’s important to you?
PL: Most of the stuff I see out on the streets of LA tends to say “HEY YO! I’M BETTER, HARDER, MEANER THAN YOU, SO FUCK OFF!” and I don’t hate it, I just think it’s backwards thinking. We got enough of that. I just want something fresh and new to look at sometimes. My message is a message of happiness and understanding. I mean can’t we all just get along? I try to say that in every piece I paint.
FP: For someone who has never done a paste up or painted a mural, how would you describe the thrill of working on the streets?
PL: It’s just fun. I go out in the middle of the day on weekends, so the likelihood of me getting caught is slim. I just enjoy making people smile. It keeps me motivated when people drive by and honk or stop and ask questions.
FP: How have your friends and family reacted to your career choice? Did they see it coming all along?
PL: Well, of course my parents wanted me to be the typical a doctor or lawyer, but they found out early on that school wasn’t my strong point. I’ve been drawing ever since I can remember. It’s like the one thing I’m good at. I guess people saw it coming. Friends would tell me, “You’re going to make it.” I never really considered it. All I want to do is draw. If I make money in the process, great. Just don’t stick me in a cubicle. That wouldn’t be fun at all!
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107 Responses
Yogi Bear FTW!
Nice interview. Smokey the Bear.
Baloo! Also: Is it a signed sketch?
Care Bears Stare!!!
Fozzie Bear, baby!
Smokey the Bear as long as he isn't speaking, otherwise Paddington ain't bad.
his bears are so polite. manners are so important these days.
Pooky, Garfield's Bear
Gotta love BooBoo!
Paddington Bear or Berenstein Bears.
Pooh Bear has to be way up there on my list!
Bearenstein Bears, "Sister Bear," specifically.
Rupert Griffin :)
Teddy Ruxpin….the audio tape deck built into his bear back!
the coca cola polar bear
"Nounours" from Nicolas et Pimprenelle, the evening night show for the little one (last catch befor going to bed!) dates back to the 1980s…hhhh
gloomy bear, although smokey the bear is a close second.
Paddington Rules!
Hair Bear with the 'fro all the way
Grylls
Rupert rules!
Ranma – the Japanese panda bear/man.
I'm going to have to go with Jerry Bears.
Pammy the Panda from Shirt Tales.
The peeing panda:
http://bobburdetteart.com/artwork/496241_Crouchin...
Hair Bears of the Hair Bear Bunch!
Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing
Love the art! Not enough art that makes one smile out there nowdays.
Fave pop cultue bear: Knut, the German superstar polar bear
Gummi bears! (red ones especially)
At the moment, my favorite pop culture bear is Grizzly Bear, from Williamsburg.
Love seeing Phil's work around my neighborhood. Bear? Smokey the Bear.
My favorite pop culture bear is Sascha, the Hamm's Beer Bear! Whoop Whoop!
"the joy of not being sold to anything"…London grafitti from bus window
Budweiser Bear from America's heartland!
Paddington Bear – classic!
any bear at XXL
I second the Baloo vote. My eight year old daughter thinks Pooh is the obvious contender, although as I explain what "pop culture icon" is to her, she is changing her vote to the bear shaped container for honey. Which makes me possibly change my vote to Post's Super Sugar Crisp Sugar Bear. Nah. . . Baloo is cool. (As a nitpick aside, there is no Smokey The Bear. Only Smokey Bear.
Mr Bean's bestfriend Teddy – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr_bean#Teddy – don't know if you guys have seen this poor demented animal in the States, but hes very sweet.
And the bear from the children's book "The Bear's toothache" – awww. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bears-Toothache-David-M-M...
Pooh! Enough said.
Cool bears for tough times.
Maurice Sendak's drawings of Little Bear is the best bear EVER. And this is not to be confused with the generic cartoon version on PBS.
http://www.amazon.com/Little-Bear-Can-Read-Book/d...
Yogi Bear!!!! Of course….wait a sec…where's my pic-a-nic basket? Damn you Yogi!!!
winnie the pooh.
blatantly TarePanda!
Berenstein Bears 4 eva
Winnie the Pooh.. he's so cuddly and translates easily to other languages / cultures
I like what you do. Favorite bear is Taffy Bear, my old starry-eyed teddy.
Um, the bear market in which we currently find ourselves. At least, it seems to be THE bear on the minds of people who don't even LIKE bears.
Boo Boo! Yogi's sidekick.
Oski (Cal's bear)
Love Paddington, love gummi bears but seriously it's got to be Gentle Ben!
Tare Panda
Huggy Bear from Starsky and Hutch, because he is a pimp bear.
Maxie the Polar Bear from Chilly Willy!
I heart Luke Chueh's gory, bloodstained bears. Still so cuddly looking even after dismembering.
Smokey the Bear. I realized that most kids don't know who that is.
Snuggle Bear and his wonderous fabric softener
This one's tough…It's between Corduroy and Paddington…
The ORIGINAL TEDDY BEAR named after THEODORE ROOSEVELT! YEAH! I win!
Papa Bear, Momma Bear, and Baby Bear…I think Phil would agree that they were innocent victims of Goldilocks.
When I was a kid I was addicted the anime "The Noozles" about extra dimensional koala bears (blinky and pinky) from Koalawalla land. Nickelodean in the 80's and 90's was awesome. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noozles
Ha, sorry, forgot to login. so here we go again:
When I was a kid I was addicted the anime "The Noozles" about extra dimensional koala bears (blinky and pinky) from Koalawalla land. Nickelodean in the 80's and 90's was awesome. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noozles
Baloo!
grateful dead rainbow dancing bears
yogi — what's in that pic-a-nic basket?
Bernie Bear is the bear of choice in this household
Love that snuggle bear on the fabric softener commercial!
WHAT A SWEETIE BEAR ! EVERYONE NEEDS A BEAR, FOR SURE. tHANX FOR YOUR LOVELY DRAWINGS. FROM A SENIOR BEAR LOVER.
My Fav is Yogi Bear….
Paddington
Best pop culture bears = whoever those pandas are that star in the panda porn that zoo keepers show to captive pandas in a last-ditch effort to have them mate.
Always gettin' lost at the department store or the laundromat – Corduroy
The Shmoo – not sure what kind of "character" it is, but he's "bear like"
Baloo of course, and thanks to the voice of Phil Harris Little John as well
That bear Colbert's always warning us about.
Here's another great video of Philip painting a mural:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gKa3bKRhp4&eu...
Corduroy is your favorite bear because it's his imperfection (a missing button) that ends up making him perfect to the child who loves him.
Corduroy is my favorite bear because it's his imperfection (a missing button) that ends up making him perfect to the child who loves him.
Andrew Sullivan.
Smokey. Gotta love a bear that takes responsibility.
Little Bear or care Bears
I'd like to go with the polar bears on "Lost," but I'll be sentimental and say Pooh.
it's all about smokey the bear. one time my mom and i were driving cross country and getting a bit loopy from all the time in the car. as i was staring at the back of the car i may or may not have been tailgating, i noticed that the trailer hitch, which was completely normal in the sense of not trying to look like anything but a trailer hitch, bore an uncanny resemblance to smokey the bear. to make sure i wasn't crazy, i asked my mom if she noticed anything weird about the hitch, to which she excitedly responded, "it looks like smokey the bear!!" if that's not confirmation of ultimate bear icon status, i don't know what is.
ALL the Beanie Baby Bears!
Pooky :0)
Pooky – Garfield's teddy bear
What about the Bad News Bears?
care bear rules
Sexual Harassment Panda from South Park – my boyfriend sang his theme song so much!
Hey! In Australia you just can't beat Humphrey B. Bear.
pooooooh bear
I think it has to be Knut -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knut_(polar_bear)
Br'er Bear (Disney's Version)
KAJ BOJESEN (Kay) Danish Wooden Bear
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&...
:D the cutest thing i have ever seen. So honest.
Paddington!
Pandaba, the disgruntled, tutu-wearing, friend of Badzmaru.
the ones that are from the wild, but react like humans:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=892287525...
Baloo!!!
FOZZIE!!!
Help! Its the The Hair Bear Bunch!
Do we have to pick just one?
Cool.
Baloo from Jungle Book is my favorite bear. Bear Necessities!
Winnie the Pooh, bother.
Kong Fu Panda! Who else?
I hate bears.
Beorn!
<3
The Grateful Dead's Dancing Bear!
Susie the Bear (Naastassja Kinski) in Hotel New Hampshire.