Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Concert artist brings energy and hair

Artist Jimmy Ovadia creates a new gig

Ovadia: “About the time I got a divorce, I was looking for a change of pace...it just seemed right to try painting with live music.”
Ovadia: “About the time I got a divorce, I was looking for a change of pace...it just seemed right to try painting with live music.”

Most jobs associated with concerts have been around for years — musician, roadie, sound tech, merch guy. Jimmy Ovadia created a new job description, and he says it’s been his primary means of support for three years.

Ovadia paints freestyle on a plywood sheet or canvas onstage while the band plays.

Video:

Jimmy Ovadia — rock artist

...painting onstage beside the Mike Pinto band as they perform

...painting onstage beside the Mike Pinto band as they perform

“I’ll change the imagery during the show,” says Ovadio who has been known to paint a surreal tree with branches that resemble a face or an instrument. “I like to stay connected with the music. When I painted for Matisyahu, I painted one image for each song. I’m known as the guy who flips his brushes. A lot of energy and hair going on.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Ovadia started in “rock art” ten years ago. He did the LP sleeve for Louis XIV’s Slick Dogs and Ponies and posters and flyers for local bands Midnight Rivals, Transfer, and Silent Comedy.

“About the time I got a divorce, I was looking for a change of pace,” says Ovadia. “I wanted to test myself and see what I was capable of. It just seemed right to try painting with live music. I started at indie-band shows at Soda Bar, Bar Eleven, and Bar Pink.”

That led to doing festivals like California Roots in Monterey. “From there I went out on tour with Rebelution and Slightly Stoopid...when you go on tour they don’t always have room in the van, but they try and do everything they can to help you.”

He says his one-of-a-kind concert mementos usually sell themselves.

Past Event

AJ Froman and Idlehands

  • Thursday, July 14, 2016, 8 p.m.
  • Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego
  • 21+

“I usually sell it right off the stage after the show. I try to get it signed by the band to mark the moment. I try to start at $350. I found I didn’t need a gallery to push my art.”

Ovadia drew the attention of the producers of Fresh Paint/Skin Wars, an hour-long TV show hosted by Ru Paul that airs every Wednesday at 8 p.m. on GSN. Nine artists paint naked subjects. The winning artist each episode gets $10,000.

“They chose artists who had never done body paint before. All the models I got were women. They have a panel of elite artists who judge you like American Idol.” Ovadia says he is forbidden to say if he won or not. “They haven’t run my episode yet. It should run in the next month or two.”

Jimmy Ovadia paints alongside AJ Froman July 14 at the Soda Bar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Melissa Etheridge, The Imaginary Amazon

Events April 1-April 3, 2024
Next Article

San Diego's Uptown Planners challenged by renters from Vibrant Uptown

Two La Jolla planning groups fight for predominance
Ovadia: “About the time I got a divorce, I was looking for a change of pace...it just seemed right to try painting with live music.”
Ovadia: “About the time I got a divorce, I was looking for a change of pace...it just seemed right to try painting with live music.”

Most jobs associated with concerts have been around for years — musician, roadie, sound tech, merch guy. Jimmy Ovadia created a new job description, and he says it’s been his primary means of support for three years.

Ovadia paints freestyle on a plywood sheet or canvas onstage while the band plays.

Video:

Jimmy Ovadia — rock artist

...painting onstage beside the Mike Pinto band as they perform

...painting onstage beside the Mike Pinto band as they perform

“I’ll change the imagery during the show,” says Ovadio who has been known to paint a surreal tree with branches that resemble a face or an instrument. “I like to stay connected with the music. When I painted for Matisyahu, I painted one image for each song. I’m known as the guy who flips his brushes. A lot of energy and hair going on.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Ovadia started in “rock art” ten years ago. He did the LP sleeve for Louis XIV’s Slick Dogs and Ponies and posters and flyers for local bands Midnight Rivals, Transfer, and Silent Comedy.

“About the time I got a divorce, I was looking for a change of pace,” says Ovadia. “I wanted to test myself and see what I was capable of. It just seemed right to try painting with live music. I started at indie-band shows at Soda Bar, Bar Eleven, and Bar Pink.”

That led to doing festivals like California Roots in Monterey. “From there I went out on tour with Rebelution and Slightly Stoopid...when you go on tour they don’t always have room in the van, but they try and do everything they can to help you.”

He says his one-of-a-kind concert mementos usually sell themselves.

Past Event

AJ Froman and Idlehands

  • Thursday, July 14, 2016, 8 p.m.
  • Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego
  • 21+

“I usually sell it right off the stage after the show. I try to get it signed by the band to mark the moment. I try to start at $350. I found I didn’t need a gallery to push my art.”

Ovadia drew the attention of the producers of Fresh Paint/Skin Wars, an hour-long TV show hosted by Ru Paul that airs every Wednesday at 8 p.m. on GSN. Nine artists paint naked subjects. The winning artist each episode gets $10,000.

“They chose artists who had never done body paint before. All the models I got were women. They have a panel of elite artists who judge you like American Idol.” Ovadia says he is forbidden to say if he won or not. “They haven’t run my episode yet. It should run in the next month or two.”

Jimmy Ovadia paints alongside AJ Froman July 14 at the Soda Bar.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader 1st place writing contest winner gets kudos

2nd place winner not so much
Next Article

San Diego's Uptown Planners challenged by renters from Vibrant Uptown

Two La Jolla planning groups fight for predominance
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.