Come celebrate Happiness with Sküt! 🥳🎨💕
Join us Wednesday August 9, 7-10pm for an artist reception (yeh, it’s party y’all!) in Skybar at Mondrian Los Angeles with golden hour cocktails.
See you then!
xoxo Sküt
Mondrian, 8440 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069.
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“Happiness” Mural by Artist Sküt at Skybar, Mondrian Los Angeles, presented by Artlounge Collective and Dunn Edwards Paints. Photo Credit Sküt @inkedbyskut
Artist Sküt (Scott Lewallen) unveiled a new mural dubbed “Happiness” at Skybar in the Mondrian Los Angeles hotel on the historic Sunset Strip of West Hollywood, California. The project is presented by gallery Artlounge Collective with a lush paint palette generously donated by Dunn Edwards Paints.
“Artlounge, Mondrian, and Skybar approached me to create a design,” says Sküt. “I saw the blank wall and instantly visualized a bright, bold, graphic parade of emoji inspired happy hearts to welcome people into this historic nightlife destination.”
Mat Yuriditsky, Director of Nightlife at Skybar and the Mondrian Hotel, adds "The happy hearts mural brings our Sunset entrance to life, greeting our guests with fun and playful energy as the first touchpoint of their Skybar experience."
The mural, a series of eight enormous candy colored smiling heart faces, covers a thirty-by-ten foot wall along the entrance to Skybar, where patrons enter the venue known for popular pool parties and DJ headliner events. Sküt completed the project in four days.
“I live and breathe design,” explains Sküt. “I snapped photos of the wall, sketched ideas on my iPad, and crunched numbers to quickly scale and tackle this challenge.”
Artist Sküt stands in front of his “Happiness” Mural at Skybar, Mondrian Los Angeles, presented by Artlounge Collective and Dunn Edwards Paints. Photo Credit Sküt @inkedbyskut
The artwork incorporates eight original rainbow colors from Gilbert Baker’s LGBT Pride Flag commissioned by Harvey Milk in 1978.
“As an openly gay artist I pay homage to trailblazers who made it possible for us to thrive. It’s important to understand how we got here,” Sküt elaborates “The mural incorporates universal icons with an ambiguously subtle queer context. I felt compelled to integrate some DNA of Pride history into the design.”
The resulting street-pop-art style is heavy with graphic detail and bold lines, creating an instant opportunity for visitors to snap keepsake selfies in front of the mural. Sküt admittedly found inspiration in some of his favorite artists and pop culture icons.
Sküt adds “I love cartoons, anime, and pop art. My aesthetic is heavily influenced by Nintendo and similar zeitgeist brands. Imagine Hayao Miyazaki and Takashi Murakami colliding in a Mario Zelda fantasy world. I love those vibes.”
"As a small, local art business, Artlounge Collective prides itself on finding opportunities for our artists," states gallery founder K. Ryan Henisey. "The mural projects at Mondrian Los Angeles are a perfect example of marrying the entrepreneurial spirit of our artists with the communities they serve. Sküt brings a vibrant, contemporary style of public art to the Skybar entrance with his happy hearts while hearkening to both LGBTQ roots and West Hollywood's historic neighborhoods. We are delighted to have partnered with him previously in The Magic Box exhibits featured in the hotel lobby and look forward to enjoying his mural for the year to come."
“I want to make you smile and feel a type of way through art. When you experience this mural, I hope you find a bit of joy. That’s why it’s called Happiness, and we all need more in our lives,” concludes Sküt.
About The Artist
Sküt @inkedbyskut (Scott Lewallen) is a LA native, featured West Hollywood local artist and muralist, and member of Artlounge Collective. He has exhibited at Mondrian Los Angeles, Aquarium of the Pacific, TAG Gallery, The Other Art Fair, and V Wine Room Weho. You know Scott as original designer and Co-Founder of Grindr (the world's largest social network for gay, bi, trans, and queer people) and advocate for LGBTQ and environmental causes. Sküt teaches paint & sketch art classes in local venues like Or Bar Weho and The Studio Lounge at The Artist Tree. Sküt is currently exhibiting at Artlounge Collective, on La Brea at Beverly, in Los Angeles.