Santa Barbara Artist DJ Javier
Draws His Dream World
Illustrator and Surfer Uses Art to Address Social Inequalities
and Build Better Communities
By Ricky Barajas | January 28, 2021
An artist and illustrator whose work graces global brands and walls from Los Angeles to New York City, DJ Javier just opened a new studio in the Funk Zone, but he’s been in Santa Barbara his whole life. Now 27 years old, the skateboarder turned surfer was raised in El Encanto Heights on the western edge of Goleta, where he began developing his craft at Dos Pueblos High School.
Today, his work can readily be found around town on the walls of places like Captain Fatty’s and Santa Cruz Market. But his impact spreads coast to coast, adding color and soul to innovative developments like Industry City in Brooklyn, restaurants like The Waterfront in Venice Beach, and retailers like Patagonia in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. And as the art director for the Santa Barbara–based footwear brand SeaVees, Inc., for the past two years, Javier’s ideas and drawings are seeping into even deeper corners of the planet.
But he remains dedicated to uplifting his hometown. “As Santa Barbara continues to grow and develop, I feel called to show that there’s more here than just fancy rich people,” Javier told me recently. “There’s a thriving community outside of this tech bubble. I don’t know much, but I like art and I know that my art can have a message.”
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