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Get to Know Alter Egos Darren Pearson and Darius Twin

It's always the day of the dead in the wacky world of one of Southern California's most prolific artists and graphic designers. Snaggletooth dinosaurs, maniacal monsters, electric snakes,  calavera skulls, ravenous apes over cityscapes, robots rocking boom boxes and tigers toting handguns ... Welcome to the zany zoo of Darren Pearson.

Born and raised in San Diego, Pearson is currently based out of Los Angeles where he and friends Max Hellmann and Jared Salas started Hacienda Prints, a company specializing in T-shirt design and live silk screening. The ambitious trio in their early 20s have toured nationally with The Chemical Brothers and The Faint, and created logos and T-shirts for Tegan and Sara and even presidential hopeful Barack Obama.

What began as a hobby in their apartment turned into a business venture when Filter magazine hired them for live events. Shirts are made to order, brushed with ink, cured with heat guns and printed in less than a minute. The experience allows people to witness the normally behind-the-scenes process of silk screening.

"People are real stoked on seeing it go down," Pearson says. "They feel part of the process, and they become more than consumers; they're participants."

Despite the fact that touring with rockstars is a blast, being on the road and changing locations every night is physically demanding. Recently, Pearson decided to branch off and start his own design firm called Darius Twin, which will further explore his eccentric clothing concepts. Darius Twin is the alter-ego of Darren Pearson, whose fraternal twin is a photographer in San Francisco. His style often integrates hand-drawn figures with Photoshop-ed pictures as Pearson is a master of graphic design. His colors are either stark because "black and white drives home a point," or extremely vivid and vibrant because "brightness evokes happiness and positivity."

Pearson's eye-catching aesthetic is best described as a psychedelic cartoon gone wrong with seemingly oblivious animals in the most precarious of circumstances. Inspired by childhood heroes such as Dr. Seuss and Walt Disney, as well as the haunting vision of Tim Burton, Pearson seeks to revive a playful innocence in the increasingly scandalous, stardriven pop culture.

"This generation doesn't have a Mickey Mouse, and I feel like that was important," Pearson says. He pits goofy monkeys against neon sharks; wily whales versus broken hearts, all the while making astute metaphors for the human folly. The implicit commentary is not so much political as it is social, finding humor in everyday life and embellishing its absurdity. "I'm constantly breaking down life by exploring its randomness," Pearson says. "I just enjoy things for what they are and try not to take myself too seriously."

He's worked in the fashion industry for three years since graduating from UC Santa Cruz, immediately impacting the competitive market in LA. Pearson's jean advertisements appeared in People as his artwork adorns everything from slip-on shoes and skate decks to business cards and Web sites. However, his out-of-thebox approach was stifled by working for design companies that chase trends and cater to narrow niches. As much as he learned from working on big accounts, Pearson is far too independent for corporate America.

"Bosses who mandate the production of skulls and owls just because they're 'hot' this season get annoying," Pearson says. "That work gets played out so quickly, and it really feels soulless."

Inspired by nature, music and the digital sphere that's made art accessible to the masses - he's excited about the possibility of global exposure. For Pearson, imagination is recreational; indeed, art is his therapy. He wants people to share in that joy. It's the progress of innovation and beauty of creation that stimulates Pearson, and he thrives on seeing others receive satisfaction from his work.

"Everyone has a beast inside of them, and sometimes it takes art to let that spirit loose," Pearson quips. "I love to make people laugh or trip out on the similarities between my characters and themselves." His focus has turned to wholesale and retail distribution in hopes of soon getting his T-shirts in stores. The future is boundless, from aspirations of book illustrations to a children's program that animates his characters.

His ability to interject a charmingly lightheartedness into the dark satire is endearing. Kids and adults alike can embrace the universality of Pearson's amusing message. He seeks to mass market his artwork for personal reasons more than commercial concerns.

"No one really knows what they want until they see it," Pearson says. "If people recognize that something is original - art for art's sake - then maybe they'll embrace the difference ... I want to help open people's minds."

Step right up to Darren Pearson's circus sideshow at www.dariustwin.com and www.haciendaprints.com