Josh Agle (born August 31, 1962), is an American artist known by most followers by the nickname “SHAG” which is how he started signing his paintings in 1987 (derived from the last two letters of his first name, and the first two letters of his last name). He's best known for comical, richly-colored cocktail and tiki-themed scenes reminiscent of the slick commercial art of the 1950s to mid-1960s. SHAG started out as a freelance commercial illustrator, primarily for independent record labels, in the late 1980s and early 1990s before galleries and collectors began to take notice of his works. He had his first solo gallery exhibition in 1997, and has since had other shows in the United States, Japan and Australia. He's the author and illustrator of several books about tiki culture and cocktail recipes. He spent the first eight years of his life in Oahu, Hawaii, and currently lives in the hills overlooking Southern California. In 2005 his art was brought to the stage in Shag With A Twist, a large dance and theater production sponsored by the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department and the San Pedro City Ballet Repertory Company. The production ran for 13 weeks at the Los Angeles Theatre Center and later moved to the Aladdin Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. He has also done some design work with Disney, including merchandise for the Enchanted Tiki Room's 40th anniversary in 2003 and for Disneyland's 50th anniversary in 2005. Josh Agle played guitar in such bands as Swamp Zombies, The Tiki Tones, and The Huntington Cads. Shag also illustrated the cover art for both albums and many singles by Servotron as well as several album and single covers for The Dickies.
Josh Agle (probably better known as Shag, a contraction of the last two letters of his first name and the first two letters of his last) is a painter, illustrator and designer working in Southern California. His initial intention to establish a career as an illustrator-for-hire was sidetracked when his original paintings began to garner considerable attention from galleries and collectors. Since his first solo gallery show in 1997, Shag has had successful solo exhibitions in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Australia.
The paintings themselves celebrate consumerism and consumption on vividly colored, sharply rendered panels; the characters drink, smoke and eat in lavish, stylish surroundings. But Agle see the visuals of his work as window-dressing or stage scenery. He's more concerned with the narrative of the art. "Most of my paintings are set in the middle of a story or situation - characters are interacting and reacting to each other and to outside events". Agle doesn't offer too many clues about the stories, preferring that the viewer create his or her own narratives to fit the situations.
Currently Shag paints in a large studio with panoramic views of a wooded valley in the hills above L.A., part of a mid-century modern home which he shares with his wife and two children. He is currently creating paintings for upcoming exhibits in New York, Paris, and Tokyo.