Southern California is defined by dichotomy: exorbitant wealth beside pockets of poverty, breathtaking nature littered with pallid strip malls, vibrant art suffocating within a culture of petty-bourgeois philistinism, and sentiments of opposition struggling for expression against a tepid conformism. Born and raised in these surroundings, Rob Wallace has traversed its varied and contradictory paths
. An affinity for the region’s nature from childhood and a rebellious adolescence drew Rob toward skateboarding, music, and art, yet fears of committing himself to his passions--and the numerous difficulties which accompany such a momentous decision--prevented him from pursuing this path in young adulthood. In order to comfortably pay bills and support himself after high school, the tide of responsibilities left him chained to a desk, forced to empty his heart to fill his bank account. Predictably, he could only become increasingly dissatisfied with this mundane existence demanded of all who forgo passion for that dreaded watchword: security. At this time, Rob’s diminished, but still vital, creative energies were channeled into his clothing company by night--a joint effort with close friend and collaborator Tony Dekleine. The process of seeing a project through, from its initial stages to the final product, filled him with an at-times obsessive perfectionism that demanded the requisite time and freedom to properly articulate his artistic vision. His growing company led to new opportunities to work with some of his favorite bands, who encouraged him to put his talents to use for them, and this push to broaden the forms of his artistic expression as he began to accommodate requests for shirt designs, record layouts, and web design motivated him to change his daily routine. Countless tours across the country allowed Rob to engage in the fulfilling process that began with a creative idea and ended with fans buying his art on records and apparel. Increasing tensions at work, ever-growing design demands, and inspiration from some of his favorite lyrics to forge one’s own path emboldened Rob to end his days of monotonous work to pursue creative endeavors full-time, a dramatic leap which provided the space for new artistic mediums and interests to emerge. It was only after fully committing himself to design work that neglected interests of youth could resurface. Years of touring with bands opened the way for Rob’s first skateboarding tour, a momentous occasion which allowed him to forge a lasting relationship with professional skateboarder Mike Vallely; Mike would become another close friend and collaborator who encouraged Rob's interest in photography and videography, enabling him to add fresh creative skills to his artistic repertoire. These new interests provided opportunities for photo and video touring, in addition to corporate clients’ requests for Rob to travel the country for photo and video projects. The ability to more fully articulate his artistic vision through multiple mediums has allowed Rob to find consistent outlets for his work, whether through the skateboard design of Street Plant, the web design of Iris Concepts, or the photography of Reel Negative. Never satisfied with his skill set and never willing to leave projects as simply “good enough,” Rob’s passion for art and music unremittingly demands a lifelong learning of competencies. He constantly pushes himself to keep moving forward, and is eager to further hone his talents through new opportunities and experiences in all mediums.
