About Pop Art Australia
Biography
Sandy Warhol is a professional pop artist and graphic designer based in
Sydney, Australia who specialises in California-style minimalist pop art
paintings influenced by a wide variety of artists ranging from Andy
Warhol and Patrick Nagel to modern rock poster artists like Frank Kozik
and Coop. Her super clean linework and extreme attention to detail is
the natural result of years of both drawing, painting, observing art by,
and working with other artists.
After attending a graphic design course at TAFE in Sydney when she was 17, she left after a few months due to sheer boredom. Sandy then began hand painting graffiti comic characters on clothing for a store in Sydney until she saw a job advertisement in the newspaper for an animation cell painter for Hanna Barbera studios. Sandy thought her dream had just come true and applied immediately. Over 100 other people also applied for the job and her heart sunk when her application was denied. She then begun working as a signwriter for IKEA in Sydney for 2 years and then left to start her own signwriting business. Most of her precision linework skills were obtained while working as a signwriter and she continually strives to improve her brush strokes with each new painting today.
In 1999 Sandy left Australia and moved to the USA. As soon as she obtained her work permit she begun building her art-based business in Las Vegas and then 2 years later moved to California where she expanded. She sold entertainment merchandise over the internet to begin with and then started licensing and selling products by artists from all around the world including Olivia, Shag, Vince Ray, Scrojo and others. In 2003 she flew Armando Huerta, a pin-up artist from Mexico, to America and sold his art to collectors around the world. She has published a total of 10 pin-up art books and manufactured her own line of pin-up art products. Sandy Warhol is also an art collector herself and respectfully sold one of her prized possessions, a painting of Anna Nicole Smith, to Larry Birkhead after she passed away in 2007.
Sandy’s art business grew considerably and she had the pleasure of working with celebrities such as American actress and pin-up model, Julie Strain, along with her husband Kevin Eastman (comic book artist, co-creator of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, and editor/publisher of “Heavy Metal” magazine) and was thrilled to acquire the front cover of the “Sky Doll Special” for her artist’s work in 2006. In 2004 Sandy signed a deal with Richard Branson to provide artwork for his “Virgin Cola” brand but the deal fell through due to problems with the marketing plan. In 2006 she signed a licensing deal with Tera Patrick and her then-husband Evan Seinfeld, founding member and vocalist of Biohazard. In 2007 she was contacted by photographer, Justice Howard, to design and publish an art book. Her partner, Neil Turbin (thrash metal vocalist for Anthrax), hired Sandy to do the graphic pre-press work for the logo of his current band, DeathRiders.
Working 12-16 hour days was the norm for Sandy but she still managed to find the time to create her own art in between running her business and managing other artists. Operating an art business was satisfying but she still yearned to create her own art on a full-time basis. Working with art created by hundreds of other artists every day for 10 years in America only strengthened her “itch”. After attending the “Toys Kill” exhibition at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood in 2007 she knew that she wanted more than just to be an art dealer and manager.
In 2009 she moved back to Australia and commenced painting daily. Sandy Warhol’s art is heavily influenced by her personal experiences while living in the US and what she sees in the world around her today.
After attending a graphic design course at TAFE in Sydney when she was 17, she left after a few months due to sheer boredom. Sandy then began hand painting graffiti comic characters on clothing for a store in Sydney until she saw a job advertisement in the newspaper for an animation cell painter for Hanna Barbera studios. Sandy thought her dream had just come true and applied immediately. Over 100 other people also applied for the job and her heart sunk when her application was denied. She then begun working as a signwriter for IKEA in Sydney for 2 years and then left to start her own signwriting business. Most of her precision linework skills were obtained while working as a signwriter and she continually strives to improve her brush strokes with each new painting today.
In 1999 Sandy left Australia and moved to the USA. As soon as she obtained her work permit she begun building her art-based business in Las Vegas and then 2 years later moved to California where she expanded. She sold entertainment merchandise over the internet to begin with and then started licensing and selling products by artists from all around the world including Olivia, Shag, Vince Ray, Scrojo and others. In 2003 she flew Armando Huerta, a pin-up artist from Mexico, to America and sold his art to collectors around the world. She has published a total of 10 pin-up art books and manufactured her own line of pin-up art products. Sandy Warhol is also an art collector herself and respectfully sold one of her prized possessions, a painting of Anna Nicole Smith, to Larry Birkhead after she passed away in 2007.
Sandy’s art business grew considerably and she had the pleasure of working with celebrities such as American actress and pin-up model, Julie Strain, along with her husband Kevin Eastman (comic book artist, co-creator of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, and editor/publisher of “Heavy Metal” magazine) and was thrilled to acquire the front cover of the “Sky Doll Special” for her artist’s work in 2006. In 2004 Sandy signed a deal with Richard Branson to provide artwork for his “Virgin Cola” brand but the deal fell through due to problems with the marketing plan. In 2006 she signed a licensing deal with Tera Patrick and her then-husband Evan Seinfeld, founding member and vocalist of Biohazard. In 2007 she was contacted by photographer, Justice Howard, to design and publish an art book. Her partner, Neil Turbin (thrash metal vocalist for Anthrax), hired Sandy to do the graphic pre-press work for the logo of his current band, DeathRiders.
Working 12-16 hour days was the norm for Sandy but she still managed to find the time to create her own art in between running her business and managing other artists. Operating an art business was satisfying but she still yearned to create her own art on a full-time basis. Working with art created by hundreds of other artists every day for 10 years in America only strengthened her “itch”. After attending the “Toys Kill” exhibition at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood in 2007 she knew that she wanted more than just to be an art dealer and manager.
In 2009 she moved back to Australia and commenced painting daily. Sandy Warhol’s art is heavily influenced by her personal experiences while living in the US and what she sees in the world around her today.
