Meet Alex Julian | Illustrator, Muralist, & Street Artist Fizix””

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alex Julian and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alex, how has your background shaped the person you are today?

Growing up in the foster care system, I tended to move around quite a lot. My favorite location while in foster care was San Fransisco in the 1980s. During that time, fantasy movies were a huge early inspiration for me. We are talking Ghost Busters, Ninja Turtles, Labyrinth, Batteries Not Included…the list goes on and on. Eventually I was adopted by Al Julian, the owner of a comic book and pop culture store chain called Amazing Al’s Comics and Cards. Spending my teenage years with Al and traveling to comic cons to meet artists like Olivia and Brom really influenced me early on.

After graduating high school I took a job as a caricature artist, but quickly found out that caricatures were not really my thing. Shortly after, I moved to Rosarito, Mexico to live with my biological grandmother. She asked me what I wanted to do with my life, and when I told her I wanted to go to art school, she supported my endeavors and built up the expectation that I do well. I went on to study media arts and animation, graduating with honors in 2005.

After college I became wrapped up in the SoCal live art scene, where I did airbrush art and the occasional body painting in various clubs around town. While I worked in the clubs, I started to create murals for local clients and eventually gained a reputation for quality work. I created the first Artist Alley for CityFest and managed that event for two years before burnout led me to return to my roots as an illustrator. As of today, I create freelance illustration for various clients, as well as large-scale murals in airbrush and spray paint. I am also now married to a talented illustrator and author, Dani Julian, who inspires me daily. As former foster youth, art has always been a way for me to connect with others in a healthy way, and I’m happy to be able to incorporate creativity into my daily life, both professionally and personally.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
That is tough to pinpoint, since I’ve been influenced by so many people over the years. My work is a unique combination of flavors, I’ll say that! Take 90’s Peter Chung, mix it with HR Giger, and throw some punk rock and street grunge into it, and there you have it. I have faced numerous challenges on my road to becoming a professional artist. Being foster youth, traveling long distances to get from Mexico to college in the USA, and periods of time spent homeless on the streets…it all shaped my work and made me what I am today.

My clients come to me because they want something that stands out from the norm. I love to make others’ visions uniquely come to life. The bigger, the better, and the more passionate the client, the more I love the work and the unique process required for each new piece. I’m proud that I am proficient in several mediums. I enjoy digital illustration and I really love to cross-platform. I love the sound that the air brush makes and the rattle of the spray can. I find passion in working on larger-than-life design, especially when it comes to murals, and I don’t like putting constraints on myself.

My favorite genres are sci-fi and fantasy, and I am hoping to expand my client list to include concept art and gaming companies in the coming years. I have always wanted to work on a team that expands a vision bigger than myself.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Now we are talking! First I would take them fishing, either off the pier in Ocean Beach, or in a skip boat under the Coronado Bridge, where we could snag mackerel, sharks, sea bass, and barracuda.

Then we’d head to Thorn Street Brewery and knock back some brews before heading to North Park to hit Gnarly Girl Pizza for a truly retro 80’s experience. I might sound biased because their location features my Ninja Turtles and Ghostbusters murals, but their pizza is truly to die for, and they have an arcade machine with over 1,000 retro video games!

The evening would find us BBQing steaks at my pad in Normal Heights before hitting the town for whatever flavor of adventure my friend wanted to try. Maybe Ska Bar or Nozaru Ramen, both located on Adams Avenue in Normal Heights, close to my house. California has so many hot spots and options for a good time, from museums to breweries to a killer underground punk scene, and I’d be proud to share it all.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, a big shoutout to my wife Dani Julian, who is also one of my most favorite artists and who inspires me on a daily basis. A second shoutout goes to my college animation teachers, the street artists I paint with and learn from regularly, and the historical masters whose work inspired me early on during childhood trips to Balboa Park in San Diego.

Website: https://www.facebook.com/AlexJulianArt

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexfizix/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexFizix

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Alextheartist17

Other: Email: alextheartist@gmail.com