"The Middle"

“THE MIDDLE”
Greg ‘CRAOLA’ Simkins
Solo Exhibition
May 31st - June 21st

Opening Reception: Saturday, May 31st from 6-9pm

KP Projects
633 North La Brea Avenue, Suite 104, Los Angeles, CA 90036 | Get Directions
(323) 933-4408
RSVP: info@kpprojects.net | Inquiries: preview@kpprojects.net

In Greg ‘CRAOLA’ Simkins' seventh solo exhibition with the gallery spanning 12 years, the artist opens the door to a world suspended between memory and invention. THE MIDDLE is a dream terrain where the surreal logic of childhood imagination meets the fragmented architecture of lived experience. This new collection of paintings and drawings continues to follow a cast of recurring characters and themes perched upon crumbling fragments of a world in motion.

Simkins’ creatures—many of whom have appeared in previous works as trickster guides or avatars of transformation, appear once again, embarking on new adventures. Pandas materialize as jokesters or soothsayers alongside cunning invertebrates, mischievous rodents, and porcelain deer. Fish float impossibly out of water and into space. Birds perch on slabs of broken concrete walls etched with faded tags or vintage cartoon characters. In Simkin’s world, animals become hybrid knights, flora grows from flesh, and narrative logic warps in favor of something more magical, more subconscious. This is not mere fantasy, it is mythology built from asphalt and imagination, from cartoons, comics, black book sketches and bedtime stories.

In the lush ecosystems and fantastical landscape found in the largest show-title painting “The Middle,” the world seems interrupted, as if time paused between one transformation and the next. Graffiti-covered wall fragments litter the dreamscape, their peeling paint and calligraphic scripts bearing witness to the artist’s origins in the graffiti yards of Southern California. A red-caped hero atop a giant blue bird extends an offering of a singular shiny pearl. Birds of every kind appear as harbingers of freedom and hope. Broken walls are not just backdrops—they are memorials to the past, physical metaphors for the boundaries Simkins have broken through over the course of his career. The Middle as an exhibition is filled with dynamic dualities: the sacred and the scrawled, the wild and the weary, the infinite imagination of youth, and the clarity of maturity. This is the threshold Simkins explores—not a resolution, but a reckoning. A place where the characters and creatures from The Outside return to remember.

As Simkins explains, "The Middle is a place of forgotten memories and stepping-stones layered in graffiti and vestiges from the past.” It is both biography and allegory, a personal archaeology rendered through a fantastical lens. The cracked walls and spectral markings serve not just as visual devices but as anchors—reminding us that even in the most unbound of worlds, history clings to the edges. In the artist’s visual mythology, there is a reckoning with the creative origins that shaped him. The Middle is where it all converges: childhood wonder, street-born rebellion, painterly rigor, and mythic storytelling.

THE USED 25 Year Anniversary Pop Up + Art Show

Join us at @startlosangeles for a special one-day-only event featuring artwork by Greg ‘CRAOLA’ Simkins along with Alex Pardee, Cam Rackam, and Drew Merritt, plus rare band memorabilia. Limited edition merch will be available along with an artist signing and band meet & greet.

Friday, May 9th
1-7pm

Artist Signing 3-4pm | Band Signing: 4-6pm

2722 Venice, Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90006
Get directions

"STORY TO TELL" LIMITED EDITIONS

“STORY TO TELL" - PAPER EDITION
24" x 24" image size, 27" x 27" paper size
Giclee on Elegance 320g Cotton Rag
Edition of 200 (+20 Artist Proofs)
Hand Signed & Numbered
Signed Certificate of Authenticity

UNFRAMED: $200 Reg. Ed. / $225 AP
FRAMED: $340 Reg. Ed. / $365 AP


 
 

"STORY TO TELL" - ALUMINUM EDITION
30" x 30"
Framed Giclee on Aluminum, Hand Embellished
Edition of 10 Trial Proofs
Signed & Numbered
Signed Certificate of Authenticity
$1,250

*Interest free payment plan available with Art MoneyContact us for details.

 

 

"STORY TO TELL" - CANVAS EDITION
27" x 27"
Giclee on Canvas (stretched & ready to hang)
Edition of 15 (+ 5 Artist Proofs)

Signed & Numbered
Signed Certificate of Authenticity
$725

*Interest free payment plan available with Art MoneyContact us for details.

"KITRON: PART DEUX" LIMITED EDITIONS

“THE SWORD IN THE SCONE”

 
 

“KITRON: PART DEUX - THE SWORD IN THE SCONE" - PAPER EDITION
20" x 16" image size, 23" x 19" paper size
Giclee on Elegance 320g Cotton Rag
Edition of 280 (+28 Artist Proofs)
Hand Signed & Numbered
Signed Certificate of Authenticity

UNFRAMED: $150 Reg. Ed. / $175 AP
FRAMED: $250 Reg. Ed. / $275 AP


 
 

“KITRON: PART DEUX - THE SWORD IN THE SCONE" - ALUMINUM EDITION
40" x 32"
Framed Giclee on Aluminum, Hand Embellished
Edition of 5 Trial Proofs
Signed & Numbered
Signed Certificate of Authenticity
$1,675

*Interest free payment plan available with Art MoneyContact us for details.

"INTO THE WELL" LIMITED EDITIONS

 
 

“INTO THE WELL" - PAPER EDITION
24" x 24" image size, 27" x 27" paper size
Giclee on Elegance 320g Cotton Rag
Edition of 280 (+28 Artist Proofs)
Hand Signed & Numbered
Signed Certificate of Authenticity

UNFRAMED: $200 Reg. Ed. / $225 AP
FRAMED: $340 Reg. Ed. / $365 AP


 
 

"INTO THE WELL" - ALUMINUM EDITION
30" x 30"
Framed Giclee on Aluminum, Hand Embellished
Edition of 5 Trial Proofs
Signed & Numbered
Signed Certificate of Authenticity
$1,250

*Interest free payment plan available with Art MoneyContact us for details.

Simkins' Swords - Trekell Starter Artist Brush Set

My new Simkins' Swords - Trekell Starter Artist Brush Set is now available at Trekell Art Supplies! I handpicked these two brushes for their versatility, whether you’re laying down fine lines or blending smooth gradients. This set includes:

  • 1 - Trekell #3 Round Crimson Taklon Brush – ideal for details and lines

  • 1 - Trekell #6 Filbert Crimson Taklon Brush – perfect for blending and soft strokes

  • 1 - 2 oz Trekell Coconut Oil Soap for easy, gentle cleaning

  • Plus, an exclusive sticker designed by Greg

With Simkins' Swords, you’re equipped with exactly what you need to dive into any project, no fuss, no extras. My philosophy is you don’t need every brush in the store—just the ones that get the job done.

$25.99 USD

New painting: "CRAOLA Counts"

I hope everyone has a great Halloween! Here is my new painting I was inspired to paint as we get into the middle of the fall season.

CRAOLA Counts, 2024
36” x 36”
Acrylic on Canvas, Framed

Naruto 9 Tail

Recently, I was asked to paint my own version of Naruto, a character from the popular anime. Since my kids love him, I decided to take on the challenge. After some time working on it, I'm happy to share my interpretation.

Naruto 9 Tail, 2024
20” x 16 ″
Acrylic on Canvas
INQUIRE