Noticed those neon pink sheep around LA? Meet the creator behind them! Ricky Sencion, a queer Mexican-American artist, is leaving his mark on the City of Angels with playful, eye-catching designs. His ‘SHEƎP’ and ‘LITTLEZ’ aren’t just decorative—through his art, Sencion inspires others to embrace their uniqueness, spreading joy and acceptance across the urban landscape. Learn how he’s transforming city surfaces into vivid emblems of queer visibility and personal empowerment. After this, you’ll see these wooly creatures in a whole new light!
Let’s rewind to little you in LA. What era shaped your wild style?
In terms of fashion, It goes back to the 80’s. It started back in grade school when I started watching videos and was immediately attracted to new wave fashions. Nowadays, Most of my clothes are splattered with paint. You’ll mostly see me in shorts, a T, and some cool sneakers.
Your art screams Cali cool meets queer rebellion. How did growing up in the City of Angels fuel that fire?
My current art style with SHEƎP and my LITTELZ came out organically. The influence of my Mexican culture is definitely in my work.
Your Mexican culture influences your work. Can you give specific examples of how this manifests in your art?
With SHEƎP, plenty of my SHEƎP Moonsters are inspired by hispanic characters. eg. LuchSHEƎP Libre, SHEƎPatio (Tapatio)
With my LITTLEZ a big chunk of them have spanish names.
You mentioned LITTELZ alongside your SHEƎP. Could you explain what LITTELZ are?
LITTLEZ is a sub series of SHEƎP. It started at the end of 2021. It’s inspired by things I love. It’s my love language. It started with a play on words from potato chip to potato SHEƎP. That first character is called PAPI. I took the two eyeballs from SHEƎP and added them to this potato SHEƎP. I then realized that I could take those two eyeballs and add them onto anything I love. I now have over 275 characters.
Spill about a moment in your LA youth that was like, “Damn, this is going in my art someday.”
My first moment that I knew I had artistic abilities happened when I came in 2nd place for a school art contest. I drew a witch. I now have 2 witch characters in my work. One is a Moonster and the other as a LITTLEZ.
LA’s got more scenes than a film reel. Which subculture first made you feel at home in your own skin?
It goes back to the 80’s. I was the Ally Sheedy (breakfast Club character) of my high school. The goth/ punk style definitely hit the spot at the time. It was a good cover in an all boys school. I could keep other peeps at a distance especially when I was having queer feelings.
How did LA’s urban landscape first spark your street art obsession?
When I started SHEƎP in 2013, I knew the series belonged out on the streets. I couldn’t keep this pink SHEƎP confined indoors. At this point, walking had become a great passion so I was able to combine both. 11 years later, I’m still walking a bunch and putting up art.
How has your art style evolved since you first started putting SHEƎP on the streets in 2013?
The shape of the SHEƎP has definitely evolved. I’ve fine tuned the shape. Recently, I’ve also been adding arms to them so that they seem more animated. Last year, I painted my autobiography by painting one painting a day for 365 continuous days. With this project, I played with every tool in my box and I gave myself permission to try any style. I’ve been incorporating this into more with my recent works.
Real talk: how did navigating queer identity in LA shape the artist you’ve become?
When I started the series, I wasn’t sure if the street art community would embrace a queer artist. At this point, I only recognized one other queer artist. It was HomoRiot. As I started meeting street art peeps, I immediately realized that my queerness didn’t matter. I was and have been fully embraced. I felt free to express myself and include queer messages that I first hesitated to do.
You mentioned HomoRiot as the only other queer street artist you recognized when you started. How has the landscape changed for queer street artists since then?
It really hasn’t changed much. I’ve met a few other queer artists, but not a whole lot. Also, There’s a documentary in the works from my friend in NYC that will be about queer street art/ artists.
Can you describe a specific queer message in your art that you were initially hesitant to include but now feel free to express?
It wasn’t a specific one, but I started using phrases like, ‘Real SHEƎP Act Up.’ A nod to the ACT UP group in the 80’s/90. Also phrases like ‘Now Sissy that SHEƎP and SHEƎP Betta Werk. Phrases inspired by Rupaul. Or E(we) are All Queer.
Your art’s got that sun-soaked, neon-drenched LA energy. What’s one spot in the city that never fails to inspire you?
I love my area of Miracle Mile. I’ve been living in my studio for 25 years. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. My other favorite area is the Arts District even though it’s becoming a bit sterile.
You mentioned loving the Arts District but feeling it’s becoming sterile. How do you think gentrification affects street art culture in LA?
It really ruins it. Anything that is put up that is not a commissioned mural gets removed immediately. But I keep going back no matter what.
If your LA upbringing was a movie, what would be the title and who’d play you?
“P.S. I Love Ewe” – a young Jay Hernandez when he had a buzz cut.
What’s one thing about growing up here that outsiders just don’t get?
That there’s so much to do and walking gives you a different perspective, if peeps just got out of their cars!
Your neon sheep are all over city walls. What’s the wildest reaction you’ve gotten from a passerby?
I love and appreciate when peeps quietly come up and ask if I’m the guy putting up these little pink things. They’re always grateful for the joy I’m putting out.
Spill the tea: which pop icon would you die to have pose with one of your fluffy creations?
It would be Gwen Stefani. I adore the energy she puts out there. Plus she had her fashion line called LAMB.
If your art was a night club, what would it be called and what would be on the playlist?
Club would be called SHEƎP. Playlist would be lots of 80’s, Disco, and 90’s gay anthems. Plus Flowers by Miley Cyrus. I love this song.
Concrete jungle meets psychedelic pasture. What’s your dream collab – living or dead?
My dream collab would definitely be with Gregory Siff. I can already see it in my mind. I love his simplicity, his use of color and his iconography. I can see his symbols and my LITTLEZ really working together.
Your work screams “freedom of expression” in day-glo wool. What’s the message behind the neon madness?
The message is simple. Always be authentically yourself, no matter what. Being different is our universal connection. It ‘s our super power.
Street art can be risky business. Ever had to make a midnight run from the cops?
Never… plus I now only do my work during the day.
If you could spray paint a sheep on any surface in the world, where would it be and why?
I would go back to Paris. I was there in 2019. A giant mural there would mean the world to me.
Joy is a key ingredient in your work. Can you describe a specific piece or project that you feel best embodies this joy?
It’s everything. Back in 2018, I experienced a moment of everlasting joy. It’s an energy that truly goes into everything. That’s why I think of my work as expressions of joy.
Fast forward 50 years: how do you want your technicolor flock to be remembered?
As beautiful expressions of JOY. Joy is the key ingredient. When peeps come across my work, it’s joy that I want them to feel. It’s more important than them physically liking the visual.