As Clutter Gallery prepares to host Fly Boy for his first Solo show, Fly Boy TV “Uh-Oh I Smell Another Cheap Cartoon Crossover”, we took this opportunity to ask him a few questions to get to know what makes him so fly!
Who is Fly Boy?
Hey! My name is Ernesto. I am from Mexico! Since I was a child, I’ve always liked making figures and sculptures as a hobby. When I went to university, I ended up studying graphic design. After university, I started working in a stop motion animation studio where I was in charge of sculpting characters, making molds, making props and whatever else was needed. I worked on two short films and the pre-production of a movie, which was a lot of fun! After that I got a boring job as a designer, and sculpting became a hobby again, but not for long!
Three years ago, during the height of the pandemic, I quit everything and decided to dedicate myself to making figures and sculpting and began calling myself FLY BOY!
Who/What are your biggest influences?
Because I grew up skating and riding BMX, I’m influenced by Jim Phillips, Skinner, Neckface and Obey.
Later, when I discovered designer toys, I became a fan of Ron English, Alex Pardee and Gary Baseman.
While I love skating culture and designer toys, I think my biggest influences come from the people that create special effects for movies, like Tom Savini, Jordu Schell or the master Stan Winston.
Tell us something special about the upcoming exhibition with us.
This show is very special to me. Fly Boy TV is a look at my past, taking characters from movies and cartoons that were important in my childhood and have been a big influence on the person I am today. I’m excited because this is my first solo show! It is something I never imagined that I could make happen. All figures are unique sculptures created especially for this show.
What are a few of your favorite tools/materials?
I don’t have any favorite tools or materials. It all depends on the type of figure I want to make.
How did you find out about designer toys?
I discovered designer toys thanks to one of my best friends, OUER. He is also devoted to making art toys and illustrations.
What advice do you have for an aspiring artist?
I still don’t consider myself an artist, I’m working hard to be one, but in the meantime the advice I can give you is to be constant and don’t give up!
For those not familiar with your work, how would you describe your style?
I still don’t know if I have a defined style, I’m still working on it, but what I can say is that everything I do is a fusion of my favorite things in life, which is watching movies, mostly horror movies, skateboarding and my love for dark stuff, like skulls, ghosts, monsters and paranormal things.
