Steve Loya grew up watching movies and TV shows with lots of cool, creative monsters in them. Star Wars, Godzilla, Ultraman, and Spectre Man were a few that left an impression on the boy. Steve also had a love and appreciation for insects and animals, both current and prehistoric, from an early age, which later would figure into his art. While Steve likes to draw and paint more realistic interpretations of wildlife, Splotch Monsters are where he has the most fun. Beginning as an experiment and a daily creative exercise, these critters created from watercolors, acrylics, coffee, India ink, tea and more, branched out into many different directions, from cute and cartoony to more serious, abstract compositions, to something in between. Starting out as semi random paint "splotches", things like eyes, ears, horns, limbs, spots, stripes and more are added to bring them to life. Lately Steve has been having fun with more controlled, text-based Splotch Monsters. 

Steve's Splotch Monster art can be found in many online and physical publications, and has been featured in Sticker Bomb Monsters (Laurence King Publishing/the SRK), Comme des Garcons spring, 2013 fashion flyer (along with collaborator and artist hero JJ Cromer), and Mail Me Art 3: Short and Sweet (Little Chimp Society), to name a few. Steve's Splotch Monster art has been exhibited in London, Greece, Japan and throughout the United States and you can find him doing Splotch Monster workshops and demos throughout the Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. region, where his Splotch Monster art hangs in homes and on the walls of a variety of galleries, coffee shops and other public spaces. 

Feel free to contact Steve to inquire about work for sale, commissions, and all things Splotch Monster-related via email at: steveloya72(at)gmail.com. Please follow his Splotch Monster blog to stay updated on the latest news!