Josh Agle is certainly one of the most active and well-known contemporary American artists. Born in Sierra Madre, the artist spent some years of his childhood in Hawaii before returning with his family to California, specifically to Los Angeles.
He began studying economics and architecture at California State University in Long Beach before realising that this was not his path and changing by specialising in graphic design.
It was during this period that he began to sign his name Shag, the combination of the last two letters of his first name and the first two letters of his surname. 

Already during the early years of his career, he began to enjoy some success by creating illustrations for magazines such as Forbes, Time and Entertainment Weekly, working on personal projects and creating covers for local bands.
His breakthrough came in 1995, when he participated in an exhibition with a single painting that sold for $200, attracting the attention of Billy Shire, owner of the famous La Luz de Jesus Gallery. 

Since then, Shag has never stopped working, without setting himself any limits. In recent years, the artist has not only dedicated himself to the creation of his own works, including illustrations, acrylic paintings and silkscreen prints, but has also opened two shops, The Shag Stores, one in Palm Spring and one in Hollywood, and begun to collaborate with various companies, among which we must mention The Walt Disney Company. 

Shag’s works are inspired both by the Tiki culture to which the artist feels very close and by the Californian landscapes, especially those of Palm Spring, which he considers to be a second home.
Thus, with vibrant, bright colours, his paintings and illustrations welcome us into a sunny, carefree world whose style recalls the cartoons of a few years ago. 

We have selected just a few of his works, but to find out more follow him on Instagram.