This Saturday/Valentine’s Day cruise over to Velo Cult bike shop to check out the first of a series of art shows at their digs on Fern Street in the heart of South Park. This one features five artists including Acamonchi, Anthony Bareno, and Matt Lingo.

Bring your coin purse to CONSPIRE because you’ll encounter shirts, books, and other creative novelties from some of your favorite local independent retailers, including Micreation, Subtext, Velo Cult, and Hi Octane Jewelry. Hand screenprinted shirts and prints will also be available from graphic design masterminds Josh Higgins and Acamonchi.

Now located at 2220 Fern Street, Velo Cult is South Park’s newest bicycle shop and a dealer of high end and custom frames, rims, and accessories. With a strong presence in SD’s vibrant bike community and as a great supporter of local art, Velo Cult breaks the stereotypes of what one would expect from your typical bike shop.  We daresay their blog and shop are works of art in themselves!

Subtext, one of our favorite sources for inspiration and all things design, is settling into a new location right across from the Casbah on Kettner & Laurel. Subtext showcases urban contemporary, pop surrealist, and lowbrow artists from around the globe. We’re coming up on a great time to get over to the new space and check out their next show from January 16th to February 15th – 366: New Works by Frank Rogozienski – a photographer who dedicated himself to capturing 366 images (it’s a leap year) one day at a time.

Hi Octane Jewelry is run by Oceanside based hot rod enthusiasts and metal smiths Brad Johnson and Alicia Hanson. Their inspiration emerges in the form of auto-inspired sterling silver jewelry, including car grille rings and one-of-a-kind salvaged car emblems creatively reconstructed into necklaces.

Micreation showcases a line of hoodies, shirts, and hats with an evolved message behind the art. In their words, “Out of chaos comes form – stars become galaxies, individuals become societies, ideas become reality. Creativity is the language of nature.” Check out their goods here!

After busting out some incredible work for Reinventing the Wheel in ’08 (shown above), we’re thrilled to have Encinitas-based artist Tocayo in our next event, Conspire. This upcoming event is especially fitting for Tocayo as his work is often directly influenced by music. Surrounded by a musical family while growing up in Miami, Tocayo’s passion for this art continues today in both his subject matter and his frequent visits to legendary local clubs The Belly Up and the Casbah.

The painting above depicting the Buena Vista Social Club is one of his many pieces that pay tribute to jazz. Collaborating with local DJ and fellow jazz-enthusiast Will Redd, Tocayo will be displaying several other jazz-inspired pieces many of which feature artists from the Blue Note label.

While you wait for Jan. 17 to to see Tocayo’s work at Conspire, head to South Park where his art graces the walls of El Camino.

See some of his other paintings here, plus design and surfboard art here.