HAOLEWEIRD STUDIOS: A colorful mixture of nostalgia, street culture, and abstraction
““I was born in Hawaii and raised between Oahu and Aurora, Colo. My upbringing was a mix of surf and skate, beach and mountain cultures. I grew up on cartoons, hip-hop, skateboarding, and snowboarding, which have informed my subject matter and style as an artist,” Andrew Moran said.
Story and photos by Juli Yanai
Andrew Eckerle Moran, known by his pseudonym, Haoleweird Studios, is a Colorado-based artist and muralist who’s deeply involved in the local scene. Not initially a painter, Moran worked in and out of restaurants as a chef before making a pivot to pursue art.
His name, Haoleweird Studios, is a playful blend of taking ownership of self-descriptors and poking fun at Hollywood. Describing how the name came about, Moran said, “I was born in Hawaii and raised between Oahu and Aurora, Colo. My upbringing was a mix of surf and skate, beach and mountain cultures. I grew up on cartoons, hip-hop, skateboarding, and snowboarding, which have informed my subject matter and style as an artist.
Speaking more about his artist name, Moran clarified, “Haole is a negative term for white people in Hawaii. I added studios as a play on Hollywood studios.”
Moran has an ease about him as he welcomes people into his artistic universe.
“Haoleweird is a blend of nostalgia, street styles, and abstraction,” he said. “The subjects of my art can range from seemingly mundane cartoon references to life, current events, nature, space, and much more.”
His work is colorful and rich with cultural references from comics and cartoons — influences that have stuck with him since he was a child.
“I’ve been interested in art one way or another for as long as I can remember,” Moran said. “I started drawing at a very young age with guidance from my grandmother. When I was a kid, I used basic utensils such as Crayola crayons, markers, colored pencils, and the classic No. 2 pencils in notebooks. Though I was exposed to many different mediums through my grandmother and art classes in school, nowadays I mostly use acrylic and aerosol paints.”
Despite his dedication, Moran wasn’t always actively dedicated to his art or painting. In fact, his art career only came about after the restaurant he previously worked at began hanging his art on the walls. “Painting wasn’t my original plan for a career path, though I’ve always wanted to pursue creative endeavors,” he said. “I have been cooking professionally for over a decade, and nowadays, I still do private chef work here and there.”
Having that exposure gave Moran a new drive to embrace his passion, ultimately changing his trajectory and leading to a second career as an artist.
“Since I started pursuing art in a professional manner, I’ve gone from hanging small canvases in the restaurants I’ve worked in and painting at live concerts, to hanging [my art] in galleries, helping to run and create events, and painting murals,” he said.
Since shifting his focus to art, Moran has found a welcoming community in Denver, where people are receptive to the work he continues to produce. “My fellow artist, hip-hop, and skate communities are stoked and supportive of my art, although the mountain community I live in [up in] Summit County, Colo., isn’t as interested in my ‘weird’ art style,” he said.
Moran can be found at a variety of events, ranging from selling artwork out of the back of his car at First Friday art walks to doing live paintings at Alphabeat Soup at the Blackbox Theater every second Thursday of the month. His artwork has also been on display in several spaces, including the Spectra Art Space located off South Broadway in Denver.
For Moran, his artwork is a way to articulate his thoughts and feelings, as well as elevate others’ voices. “My artwork and creative outlets are a way to express myself, my thoughts, and ideas,” he said. “I am happy to use my creativity as a voice for myself and others, [which I’ve done by] creating murals for Pride month and the LGBTQIA+ community [among other things].
“I want my artwork, especially my nostalgic artwork, to remind the viewer of a time in [their lives] without worries,” Moran said. “To find a fond memory and enjoy the fun of creativity.”
And for the upcoming year, Moran hopes that he’s able to legitimize his business and expand into more wearable art pieces and apparel, as well as dive into more mural and community-focused work. “I’m always looking for fun mural projects and projects I can involve the community in,” he said.