INTERVIEW: Inspire the 10's Aaron Hansen | The Coachella Valley Art Scene

This Friday evening one of our favorite local artist from the Coachella Valley will be inviting you into his universe. His universe – with coordinates that connect on ‘the next level’, consumed of divine thought that is visually translated through graffiti-inspired techniques on found objects – can be accessed by first going through a hand-crafted life-size maze to get through the front door and into the show’s art space. Once you wind through the entrance’s maze, you will greet yourself at the door, and then step into what once was a corporate office but now has been completely revamped by Aaron Hansen. Every aspect of the room, from the ceiling to the floor along with every single wall has been painted and all have been laced with his latest art works. Wander around for a bit and you will find a ‘video room’ tucked away where you can share an intimate multi-media experience with friends, or with strangers. What can not be over looked, partially because it towers above you, is an extra large DJ booth that reaches to the ceiling…this, of course, is where Alf Alpha will be spinning records and keeping the vibe of the art show positive and on a high note.

The artist: Aaron Hansen.

The mission: to Inspire the 10.

The art show: an interactive art experience open to all ages this Friday evening in Palm Desert.

About Inspire the 10 Art Show

words by Aaron Hansen:

This is my first solo show. It’s going down at a brand new art gallery in the desert called “Venus Art Space” (and in my opinion, the next spot of importance out here for artists), opened by Debra Mumm of Venus Art Supply store in Palm Desert, CA.

The art show is being put on to fund an idea for a project. I have named the project “Inspire the 10” and the objective is to paint murals from California to Florida on walls facing the 10 Freeway in hopes of inspiring the people. The proceeds will go towards paint, gas and food that will be used on the venture. The method to the trip goes… drives until you see a nice wall, ask if you can paint the wall, paint it, and look for another! Plain and simple.

mural work of Aaron Hansen

About the Art

words by Aaron Hansen:

My work usually revolves around a kind of self awareness statement or some kind of overall sense of oneness. The message in the paintings are held in high standards by myself, however, the big picture message is the idea of what my project is doing on a personal level. The imagining of someone dropping everything in order to execute an idea they have received from the conscience. Based solely on your trust of your minds voice, taking the leap with full faith and the intent of doing good for others and completing the task at hand because you know its good and you’ll do so without any promise of a financial reward. It’s a leap of faith that I believe everyone is going to have to take very soon here. The spiral is tightening up and its time to meet our future self.

Sarah of The Coachella Valley Art Scene: Where does an idea like this even route from? Tell me what it was that inspired you to do this…

Aaron Hansen: Well, I was all hopped up off some Augie’s coffee, getting on the freeway in Redlands. There’s this perfect little wall behind a house facing the on ramp, and when I saw it, I thought I should paint it. Then, my mind jumped to, “I should ask them if I can do a mural,” and do it right. Then, I noticed another wall, thought even more about doing a mural on that wall, which is what started the snowball effect…. So, by the time I passed Whitewater, my journey was revealed!

I have always wanted to road trip the 10 FWY. I’ve always enjoyed painting. I know I’ve always been here to carry out the work of the Universe and this is a good start.

DESIRE is to add more light to the path by putting color, geometry, knowledge, inspiration and positive intent along my path in order to DESERVE my DESTINY.

Sarah of The Coachella Valley Art Scene: Have you ever done this kind of travel before?

No (laughs). I actually started the project a couple months ago and I had just got past Tucson, Arizona – then, my truck broke down. But, now that I look back, I am kind of glad because now I carpool and ride my bike instead of driving a (gas guzzling) V8 Pick-up truck. I’m really looking at the Prius V as a serious candidate for the big trip.

Sarah of The Coachella Valley Art Scene: Do you know what you have in mind to do in the murals? Do you have a message to spread? Or will each mural be unique and each be inspired by the trip?

Aaron Hansen: It varies. I don’t have sketches. Usually, I like to vibe with the location first and paint something that was inspired there. Plus, I don’t know what the dimensions of the walls are, you know?

When you drive through places they make you feel different ways. The surface you paint on also has a big say in what the mural will look like. Also, this way the color and design are specific to the mood of the place and the shape of the mural surface.

The first mural I did was in Casa Grande, Arizona and I kicked it off with a sketch of a positive message that I had drawn a couple months back that I had found in my crate of paint (laughs).

Once you make the decision to carry out a mural, the ideas will come to you when you finish the last idea you were given, and that’s how the murals are created.

The second one I painted, in Palm Springs (on Garnett parallel to the 10), started with me and my friend Bradley Perez and then my buddy Rick Rodriguez, Jose Diaz and Jim Cross threw their art on it and and it turned into an awesome mural. In my opinion, it depicts a being in the Coachella Valley projecting his future reality through this dimension and into others from his mind’s eye. The piece ends with a merkaba (spirit vehicle in the shape of a star tetrahedron) traveling through the cosmos.

The last mural I completed (also in Palm Springs), is of a cloud’s drool that turns into a ribbon of color that acts as a helping hand for the hero of the mural to hang on to. The hero is avoiding a pit of monotonous patterns and a fiery pit of greed and other negative personalities.

My message changes with different levels of the trip; the first wall was themed around “doing good”, the second wall unfolded into “shaping your own reality”, the third was “avoiding the pitfalls of yourself”. The message is in the process of the project itself. I paint motivational colorful pieces inspired by the journey but the message also exists within a person leaving home and taking a leap of faith into the unknown!

DJ Alf Alpha will be performing at the all ages art show this Friday

Sarah of The Coachella Valley Art Scene: So, how long are you planning to be gone for? Do you have a time limit on this project?

Aaron Hansen: I’m shooting for 60 days. I’m trying to reach 30 murals nationwide, thinking it will go something like; one day for scouting a spot, one day for painting. But, like I said, you only get the next idea if you complete the first one you were given. So, there’s no telling what the project itself will involve. Also, once I hit the road, I might not come back, who knows…

… Maybe I just have to give other artists examples of my ideas and other artists from everywhere will start inspiring people around them too. This could potentially turn into “Inspire the Everything.” It could be like… I start from here to New Mexico and someone else can take over from there and switch it off with others!

The idea is to “Inspire the 10”, my way is painting murals… but, it doesn’t necessarily have to be me, you know? If I was skilled enough I could just focus on materializing my idea, it would happen without me painting anything. Know what I mean?

Anyway, that’s my crazy idea… (laughs)