Art
By Anastacia Grenda‘Morning Commute’
ArtistChad Eaton, San Clemente
BACKGROUNDEaton uses the moniker Timber! for his work. “I decided to print my art on a few T-shirts. People really liked them, so I made more, which meant I had to come up with a company name. I thought Timber! conveyed the right amount of silliness while still letting you in on the forest theme [in the work]. Now it has expanded to so many different art forms.”
CREATIONLike most of Eaton’s paintings, this oil on canvas started as a sketch. “I draw constantly. I feel like that’s the only way to get my ideas out, so the sketchbook is my constant companion. This one made me laugh, so that meant it had to be developed further. As I painted, more things were added, leaving little resemblance to the original sketch.”
INSPIRATION“Lately I’ve been exploring my silly little fictional world of lumberjacks. I feel like this piece is pretty optimistic, portraying the culture and community with nature that I think exists in the forest.” —Anastacia Grenda
See ItEaton’s work will be displayed April 3 through May 3 at Hibbleton Gallery, 112 W. Wilshire Ave., Fullerton, 714-441-2857,
www.hibbleton.com. “Morning Commute” is available for $1,200. To see more of his work, visit
www.orangecoastmagazine.com/eaton.
Front and CenterOC Music Awards
Now in its eighth year, the OC Music Awards will, for the first time, honor local musicians in genres ranging from hip-hop to jazz to punk.
This month’s ceremony is the first for producer Luke Allen, who succeeds founding producer Martin Brown. Allen has instituted a major change: Instead of artists submitting their work for nomination, a panel will make the selections. Allen also has trimmed some of the categories and plans to hold the music showcases closer to the ceremony. The goal is to continue building a sense of community—and creating opportunities—for local musicians.
“I just hope that the awards do their job well; that they will recognize talent, and beyond that, will spark great creativity and increased awareness of Orange County bands.”
The OC Music Awards are April 4 at The Grove of Anaheim. Tickets are $25. 877-700-6262,
www.ocmusicawards.com.
Arts Star
Oanh Nguyen
For guiding The Chance Theater as artistic director, and directing the West Coast premieres of “Jesus Hates Me” and “The Girl, the Grouch, and the Goat”