New Interview: In an AIRPLANE!!!

Inside The Artist’s Mind: A Backseat Story With Greg “Craola” Simkins offers a glimpse into the inspirations, process, and imagination that fuel his work. The interview is conducted by Mike Daniel, a backcountry pilot and visual designer whose unique perspective bridges timeless aviation traditions with modern storytelling. Together, they explore the creative spark behind Greg’s world of characters and narratives.

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Richmond Tattoo + Arts Academy

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be a featured artist in this year’s Richmond Tattoo & Arts Academy, as part of the Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention — happening October 17–19, 2025 in Richmond, VA.

This special event brings together a curated lineup of 5 artists — including two Fine Artists (myself included) and three incredible Tattoo Artists — for an unforgettable weekend of teaching, inspiration, and creative growth.

The Academy is a creative space built to challenge, elevate, and connect artists who are serious about pushing their work to the next level. I’ll be sharing insights into my artistic journey, creative process, and the lessons I've learned along the way, alongside some truly talented peers.

If you’re an artist looking to grow, or a fan interested in the deeper process behind the work, this is a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes with some of the industry's most passionate creators.

October 17–19, 2025

DoubleTree by Hilton - Midlothian
1021 Koger Center
Richmond, VA 23235

LEARN MORE

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ZERO Skateboards Art Exhibit

Spooners Quest, 2025
Acrylic on Skateboard
INQUIRE

I'm thrilled to be part of "Alchemy" — an innovative art show presented by Guru Tattoo in collaboration with Zero Skateboards. This unique exhibition celebrates the intersection of skate culture and artistic expression, featuring custom skateboard decks transformed into one-of-a-kind works of art by tattoo artists and other creatives. I'm honored to have a board included in the show!

ALCHEMY

Sunday, August 24th 2025
3pm-9pm

Wicked West
1735 National Ave
San Diego CA 92113

Kid Friendly,
Free Admission
Food & Drinks to Purchase

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"JAWS" 50th Anniversary Art Exhibition

I'm excited to present a new painting that is part of an officially licensed art exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of JAWS — Steven Spielberg’s iconic 1975 film that helped shape the modern blockbuster.

Presented in collaboration with CODA, Popcore, Universal Studios, and Amblin Entertainment, the show features original artwork inspired by the film’s lasting legacy. My painting will be featured alongside works by an incredible lineup of contemporary artists, each offering their own take on the suspense, mystery, and impact of this cinematic classic.

Opening Reception:
Saturday, June 28th, 2025 | 5–8PM

NO COVER CHARGE | ALL AGES WELCOME

On View:
Saturdays & Sundays through July 13th, 2025

Art Alliance of Monmouth County
33 Monmouth St, Red Bank, NJ 07701

GREG "CRAOLA" SIMKINS
Need Bigger Boat, 2025
Acrylic on Canvas
30 x 20 ′′
INQUIRE

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"The Middle" Solo Exhibiion Print Releases

THE MIDDLE

Signed and Numbered Limited Editions with Certificate of Authenticity, Embossed

PAPER EDITION
27 inches x 44.75 inches (image size) // 29 inches x 46.75 inches (paper size)
Giclee on Elegance 320g Cotton Rag Paper
$325 unframed regular edition / $375 unframed AP
*Contact the gallery for framed pricing

CANVAS EDITION
42 inches x 70 inches (canvas size)
Giclee on canvas // Edition of 10 +1 AP
$3,475 unframed regular edition of 10
$3,865 AP edition of 1
*Contact the gallery for framed pricing and / or shipping

ALUMINUM EDITION
 45 x 75 inches
Framed Giclee on Aluminum, Hand Embellished
Edition of 5 Trial Proofs
$4,875
*Contact the gallery for pricing on shipping

(PRINT DETAIL IMAGES BELOW)

LIL’ TOOT

Signed and Numbered Limited Editions with Certificate of Authenticity, Embossed

17" x 13" image size, 20" x 16" paper size
Giclee on Elegance 320g Cotton Rag
Edition of 250 + 25 APs
Signed & Numbered
Signed Certificate of Authenticity, Embossed
$115 reg unframed / $140 AP unframed
$240 reg framed / $265 AP framed

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"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.

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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

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"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 Money. Contact 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 Money. Contact us for details.

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"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 Money. Contact us for details.

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