There is a small shop situated in the middle of the block on Valencia at 19th Street, strategically  placed across from the Mission Playground and Pool. It looks like a business, yet it suspiciously looks like a front for something other than the advertised shirts.

Apparently it is a pop up store that was opened last year by J. Otto Seibold when his children’s illustrated book titled The Lost Sloth was launched by San Francisco based publisher McSweeney.

We asked Mr.Seibold about the the book, store and his book illustrations.

How did this book and story come about?

i think i saw a video on youtube about a sloth being carried by a person across a street…. and it made me think about a sloth who had to act fast… in this case, winning a shopping spree! and the speed needed to claim the prize.

Can you tell us about the store and if it is ever open?

the store became possible because mcsweeneys, my publisher, and Amnesia, the bar, are next to each other and on good terms. so, when asked, Shawn amnesias owner said “go for it”

it was opened the first friday of december 2013, it was raining hard and the custom awning had just been completed (after Boots Rliley of Oaklands well known musical group The Coup had rushed to a local fabric store and chose the fruit motif tablecloth fabric)

it was run with “sloth hours” during the month december. i am broke so i was trying to promote the book and cover my rent. Sometime in the first week of the new year, someone broke the lock and stole all the shirts within… a major setback because the sales were to cover the next printing of shirts. i reopened in march under the same rent-needs premise. it’s a great place to sit on a sunny day. great response from kind people. and when its slow, slothyslow, i can grab a book from mcsweeneys and read in the daytime. a favorite activity!

You have illustrated several children’s books and collaborated with Vivian Walsh on several including Olive. How did you get into children book illustration?

i was a successful commercial illustrator in the 1990s. to a degree that i no longer enjoyed the commercial aspect of it. so i wanted to find a way of having the ideas and images to survive on their own merit. i was also expecting my first child. Things fell together and i sold my first book to penguin press in 1992.

What is your inspiration for your illustrations?

i have a self taught method of appreciation for past examples of great work and a mutated form of interpretive memory… my style wasn’t something i was aiming for, its just an evolving state of what I’m most inspired to create at any given time.

How do you create your art?

the books have ALL been done in adobe illustrator, a long standing computer based vector art program. i started fumbling with it in 1988… and still use it today. though most everything has changed in the active creation side. couldnt even work in color in the beginning… and drawing by mouse has a certain chunkyness one had to accept then.

Did you study art in college or are you self taught?

ive never had an art class… but ive spoken at some pretty nice art schools since my successes. im really into the continuing education role of growth… no teachers means i never have to curb my interests or be practical in the manner in which i want to soak up every bit of creative practice…

What are the particular challenges of an artist doing book illustrations?

making a living. it was as easy to do in the 1990s as it is difficult in the present.

Do you also create illustrations for other mediums?

sometimes… i do a lot of non-book art.

Where can your work and books be purchase?

id say through mcSweeney’s own website for the current book. in november of this year ill be having a show about my early “mr.lunch” series of books at the sf contemporary jewish museum. they have a nice history of originating quality childrens literature/art shows.

Following is video where Black Francis reads the book.

About the Author

J Otto Seibold lives in Oakland. He may be contacted through the publisher.

Playful annimated site by Otto Seibold just because: Jotto.com
To purchase a Mr Lunch T Shirt: Mr Lunch T Shirt