Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr5n2VMeWbg&list=PLOQvdw7d0cd9RZZkd2lZy2hmrnJv-cfLI&index=72
Evan: So we are back here on the Choose 954 podcast episode 29 with local artist Eric Bill Ches Envy Gallery here in Mass District. If you didn’t know about Choose 954, we started a social movement to cultivate culture and community here in Broward County, where I’m from, in an effort to keep people in the know with all the great things that are going on and make this a better place to live and not just a place to vacation. The point of the podcast is to connect you with amazing people like him doing incredible things in the community. You’re gonna find out about a lot of great things that hopefully you’ll be able to take part in coming up here this week and beyond. So without much further ado, Eric, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Eric: So my name is Eric and I’m an artist, local originally from Fort Lauderdale. I’ve been painting for my entire life essentially. It pretty much started when I was a kid with my mom painting—she’s always been a painter herself. So I kind of learned under her wing. She was always painting murals and on walls and things like that. So I just grew up watching her painting and painting on my own, and, you know, developed all sorts of different kinds of techniques and mediums, and just been experimenting with pretty much everything art since. And still to this day, I’m still learning and still exploring new techniques and new ways to paint and new ways to express myself.
Eric: So I was always pretty shitty at reading and writing and learning, you know, by the book. So for me, it was always doing plus finding any way to really distract myself from the seriousness of that I couldn’t read certain things and stuff. And it was only because I was a little, I was a little bit behind as far as learning English. Weird, right? I grew up actually here in the States, but I went to an all-Spanish-speaking school in California. And when we moved here to—I'm sorry, when I moved to Texas—that’s when I learned how to speak English for the first time. And it was, it was quite a difficult time in my life. So once again, it was the doodles, it was the art work—that was pretty much another thing that got me through all that. And I’ve been doing it ever since.
Evan: Interesting. It’s interesting that those experiences early on with your mother and family had an impact on the creation of your work. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about your work and the mediums in which you practice in now?
Eric: So the mediums I use right now are actually kind of all over the place. I don’t stick with one, but for the most part, I’ve been doing a lot of spray paint work. Spray paint, stenciling, a lot of ink and acrylic. I used to love oil and all that, but my patience as the years have gone by have worn out. So I feel like the paint doesn’t dry fast enough. That’s why I’m using spray paint and these other mediums that dry a lot quicker. And, you know, I’m doing a lot of, a lot of different techniques and things that are just kind of completely off the normal, you know, beaten path of making art. I’ve made up with all kinds of different household objects and dyes as well. So I’ve kind of experimented all over the place just to keep things interesting in a sense.
Evan: Yeah, yeah. And why don’t you tell us a little about this piece that we’re sitting in front of right here?
Eric: Yeah, so this, this piece here was created in 2017 actually—I’m sorry—it was, the actual character is my alter ego character that I created during college. And I just recreated this, this character in three different forms representing, you know, three different phases from what it was created to now. And it’s, it’s kind of expresses the elegance with attitude and, and changes as well. So you have the Renaissance at the top, and it’s crossed out because this is the end of a Renaissance series, which was like my thing, like a rebirth in a sense as an artist. So this is the last piece of the Renaissance edition. And I decided to go pretty big and loud and crazy with the colors. It’s also done with all kinds of different mediums—with UV spray, ink, acrylic as well, marker, there’s all kinds of stuff on this guy.
Evan: Nice, very cool. And what would you say, is it pop art? Graphics art? What do you consider it?
Eric: Oh, it’s definitely more pop art than anything. Yeah, more like, it’s my take at least on it. And it’s, it’s developed since this piece as well. There’s a lot more pieces in the making at the moment. But the way I create art is, is a very slow process. So my paintings get produced in a very slow manner in a way, so they get cranked out a few at a time. But I might not release a new painting for months on end. So, yeah, I’m looking forward to the new set of pieces. And I’m also going to be painting this character here on a mural in Daytona in a resort coming up in April. So I’m one of three artists making a mural there.
Evan: Nice! That’s awesome. And another artist that we’ve broadcast previously, right?
Eric: Yeah, yeah. Diana Fourboulit, who’s in works, I’m sure, here somewhere.
Evan: That’s awesome, man. So why don’t you tell us a little bit about where we’re sitting right now?
Eric: So this gallery here that my brother and I created was essentially going to be just a place where I can work. And then I decided to stop working out of my house and create a space where I can show off my latest creations. And I also wanted to create something that everybody else can use as well—all the emerging artists would have a spot to display their new works. So we created this little gallery that used to be a tire shop. We did all kinds of work to it, and, you know, this is—
Evan: Looks great, by the way!
Eric: Thanks, man. Appreciate it. Yeah, we’ve had a good, good year in here already.
Evan: Let me pan the camera a little bit to show like, you know, you fixed up the floors, you fixed up the walls, ceilings.
Eric: Yeah, man. And there’s still more work to come, you know. We’re taking it little by little, but we’re getting a lot of the artists in here.
Evan: Who are you showing right now in here?
Eric: Well, right now, we have a total of four artists—or five or six, actually. We have Soraya Zaon, my bodycast Virginie over here, and we have Karan Hale as well. But these are only maybe a fourth of the artists that we’ve been showing quite consistently. We also have Enrique, prints are all Virginie here on this wall.
Evan: Yep.
Eric: She’s our first international artist from Argentina. Yeah, she’s done quite well for herself. She’s also won some awards in Italy, in some shows over there. She’s a badass artist, and we’re super lucky to have her.
Evan: Two-time participant from our Local Artist Discovery Series. Glad to make that connection.
Eric: Yeah, man. Definitely.
Evan: And then who—if I can pan on to this side—who’s that?
Eric: Yeah, so that’s gonna be Karan Hale. He’s out of Tampa, Florida. He’s an emerging artist as well. He’s only been painting for about a year and a half or so, but extremely talented. Super nice guy, and he’s just provided some really outstanding work with the short time that he’s been at it. So, we’re pretty happy to have him around.
Evan: Shoutout to Karan Hale! Give that guy some love!
Eric: Yeah, for sure!
Evan:: We’ll post this on Facebook, and I’ll try to comment and link everyone in the comments with Virginie, Soraya, Karan, and the other artists featured in here. So we’re here in Mass District in Flagler Village. How long have you been here for?
Eric: Oh, we’ve been here for just over a year now.
Evan: Nice! What do you like about this area in Fort Lauderdale?
Eric: What I like about it is that there’s just so much potential for growth here. There’s a lot of space to grow into, and I feel like we’re kind of early to the party, but we’re extremely happy to be a part of something. It feels like we’re actually shaping and sculpting some of this area ourselves—at least leaving our print behind. And there are a lot of great people here. There are a lot of awesome artists, great times, good bars, good food, good collaboration, and just good vibes all around. It’s a good place to be. So if you guys haven’t made it out to Fort Lauderdale Art Walk, I suggest you do. That’s the last Saturday of every month from 6 to 10:30 or so. Come check it out, support your local artists, and see what’s going on here.
Evan: Absolutely! And we’re gonna have an opportunity to get you out here, which I’ll mention in a little bit. So what are some of the things coming up next for you or for the space?
Eric: The space is always going to be in continuous change. There’s not a single month where this place looks the same. Whether we change the color of a wall or completely switch something up, there’s always something happening. It could be smaller details, but there’s lots of change going on here. You’d have to come to Fort Lauderdale Art Walk to see that—or schedule a private tour.
Evan: Right, or a private tour.
Eric: Yeah, exactly. And we also have the gallery website coming out. We’ll be launching it within the next few months, so keep a lookout for that. We’ll have every artist we’ve represented on there, so you’ll be able to check out everybody’s work, who we’re collaborating with, and everything we have in store. We’re also collaborating with some people in Miami for Wynwood. It’s not set in stone just yet, but we have some cool T-shirt stuff coming out. Other than that, it’s about creating more work and getting more shows going.
Evan: Beautiful thing, man. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about what you’ve got going on today?
Eric: So today, we’re doing a body casting session in Boynton Beach. We’ll be body casting a few women for our big project, which has been an honor and a great help with not only my body casting but also with Ernest and Sierra’s artistic side. Ultimately, these body casts lead to the Thousand Mermaids Artificial Reef Project, which is a public art conservation eco-tourism project. We worked on it to create an artificial reef out of local people’s body casts in the form of mermaids, which we’re going to deploy off the coast of Fort Lauderdale Beach and beyond.
Evan: Very cool.
Eric: Yeah, we have opportunities to basically help save the reefs. The functional element of these artificial reefs is that we deploy them in an area where the reefs are hurting or dying. By creating a new destination, not only for divers but for fish and habitats, it allows the natural reef time to heal while taking the pressure off it by diverting attention to a new area.
Evan: Yeah, man, if you don’t know, coral reefs are effectively the Amazon of the ocean. They are the lungs; they help the ocean breathe. If the reefs die, unfortunately, a lot of things in the ocean die, which has a big impact on Fort Lauderdale. Then we’re not the yachting capital of the world anymore, we don’t have the biggest dive industry in the world anymore, and we’re not doing billions of dollars in economic impact, which is tied back to the reefs.
Eric: Yeah, exactly.
Evan:: It’s so cool to see how artists like yourself, Ernest, Sierra, and the others have come up with solutions through your art to help solve this issue that’s plaguing our waterways.
Eric: It’s been an amazing process. If you want to learn more, visit www.thousandmermaids.com. You can also find us on social media @ThousandMermaids or send an email to info@thousandmermaids.com if you ever want to help, support, or donate. There are a lot of ways to get involved.
Evan: Where can people find you on social media?
Eric: You can find me at @TheArtOfB on Instagram. That’s T-H-E-A-R-T-O-F-B. You can follow me there and check out everything I’ve got going on. And like I said, we’re also launching the website soon, so stay tuned for that.
Evan: Perfect. And for those who like to GPS things, what’s the address here?
Eric: This is 807 Northeast 4th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale. We’re in the Mass District, just south of Sunrise and behind the Sears on Federal and Sunrise. We’re in Flagler Village, which includes Fat Village, MASS District, and The Hive. This is Fort Lauderdale’s arts district—what some refer to as our "Wynwood."
Evan: Absolutely. And for those who want to come check it out, I’m actually going to be leading a guided, curated tour of the Art Walk next Saturday. As Eric mentioned, the last Saturday of every month is the Fort Lauderdale Art Walk in Fat Village, MASS District, and The Hive. Choose 954 is hosting a guided, curated tour for the first time, so I’ll be taking people around to meet artists like Eric and show them their work.
Evan: That’s Saturday, March 30th, at 6:00 p.m. We’ll meet at the trolley stop in MASS District on the corner of 5th and 9th. The Art Walk is free to attend, and I have a suggested donation of $20 for the guided tour. It’ll be worth it, and I’m excited to leverage my insights to help connect more people with the arts and local artists. Eric will be here, and you’ll get to see this piece firsthand, along with hearing from other artists in the area.
Evan: There’s just so much more to see and experience here, so I highly recommend checking out the Art Walk. We also have another event that we host every month, which is Creative Zen. It’s a monthly breakfast lecture series, kind of like a mini TED Talk. We say it’s for the creative community, but honestly, everyone’s welcome. Everyone’s creative in their own way, right?
Eric: Absolutely.
Evan: It’s a free event that happens every second Friday morning of the month. We bring in a noteworthy speaker, whether they’re an artist, entrepreneur, coach, or Zen master—someone with a thought-provoking and inspiring story to share. This event is where I had my ‘aha’ moment that got me involved in arts and culture. So I like to pay it forward by hosting these events along with Andrew and the Advertising Federation’s local chapter.
Eric: That’s amazing.
Evan: Yeah, it’s all about providing a platform for the creative community to connect, engage, and get inspired—one Friday morning a month. This month, I’m really excited because we have one of the people I admire and respect the most, Ivan Dynamo DeJesus. He’s the creator of Action Club.
Eric: Yeah, I’ve heard of that.
Evan: Action Club is basically a free mastermind group that’s been running for about seven years now. It’s a motivational and accountability support group. Anyone with an idea, startup, passion project, or even no idea yet, can come to Action Club to find support, share ideas, and connect with like-minded individuals. Ivan will be sharing his story at Creative Zen on Friday, April 12th, at the new General Provision co-working space in downtown Fort Lauderdale. You can find out more on our social media pages or by searching Creative Zen.
Eric: Sounds awesome.
Evan: Yeah, and if anyone’s interested in checking out Action Club, it happens every other Tuesday night at General Provision as well. No strings attached, no catch, just a space for people to collaborate and innovate together. So that’s Friday, April 12th, for Creative Zen, and Action Club happens every other Tuesday.
Evan: Another event that we’re supporting and hosting is Raw Storytelling. It’s every second Thursday of the month at C&I Studios. It’s true stories, unscripted, and told live. It’s a great event where people share real, raw stories from their lives. You can check that out at rawstorytelling.org.
Eric: Nice, I’ve heard great things about that too.
Host: Yeah, it’s really powerful. We also have the Choose 954 Local Artist Discovery Series, which is a live art pop-up that we host every Wednesday at YOLO in downtown Fort Lauderdale. We’ve been doing it for the last 110 consecutive weeks. We give local artists a canvas, an easel, and a table, and we don’t charge them or take a cut of their work. We just provide them with a platform to showcase their art and connect with people in the heart of downtown.
Eric: That’s great. I love hearing about opportunities like that for local artists.
Evan: Absolutely. And it’s free to attend. There’s live music, and it’s a great event to support local artists and maybe even buy some art for yourself. If you know any artists who’d like to participate, feel free to send them our way. It’s all about connecting and growing the community.
Eric: Definitely.
Evan: You can find me on social media at @EvanSnow13, and you can follow @Choose954 as well. We’d love for you to follow the @ThousandMermaids project too, and keep an eye out for some new content from our body casting session today. If you ever want to reach out or have any questions, don’t hesitate to hit me up.
Eric: And don’t forget to come out for the Art Walk on March 30th!
Evan: Yes! Come out to the Art Walk, check out Eric’s gallery here, and support all the amazing local artists in the area. That’s it for this episode—thanks so much for tuning in.
Eric: Thanks for having me.
Evan: See you at the Art Walk next Saturday!
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