It’s late but here’s the write up for my last exhibition with Core New Art Space, much love to Westword and Khaleel Herbert for the awesome write up (link at bottom.)
Click_Bait on Artsy
Couple of my paintings made it into an online exhibition with Dab Art LA on Artsy with the physical publication being added to the LACMA research library - so at least some of my work will last until the sun consumes the earth in a few million years. Link to the rest of the awesome art: https://www.artsy.net/show/dab-art-click-bait
It’s been one of those days
Where you draw a little kid launching a hellfire missile from a reaper drone.
Panel One
Cause:
this would look pretty bad if I did it on an larger scale, somewhere around 8 ft x 8 ft. Maybe if I get in to one of these residencies I’ll be able to pull it off.
Progress
This photo got kind of washed out since it’s overcast here in Denver - but all I have left is to finish painting the embroidered stars and some interference orange to make the edges of the flames appear translucent. It’s taking almost a month of working in my free time on this painting. 2018 has been strange in America. A sitting president is under criminal investigation investigation yet continues to peddle lies, propaganda, conspiracy theories, and disinformation to discredit the investigation. The republican lead congress just sits by and does nothing as he attacks the free press. The worst part is people still believe him, and he has support among conservative groups. This is utter insanity.
Well That’s Like
Almost three weeks of work.
On the easel
This was a full pencil
When I started this 72 inch tall painting.
Whoa
Well the reaction to this painting has been pretty interesting. No one actually likes it, which is what I was actually going for. The left leaning types apparently don’t want to face the reality of guns in the context of school shootings especially when it’s to scale of a real AR-15 and the right sees it as some sort of attack on their personal freedom. The fact is America has too many guns and my biggest issue with where the gun control debate is headed, is towards the scapegoating of people with mental health issues. Blaming an already stigmatized and marginalized section of society isn’t moving forward. The Las Vegas shooter by all apperences didn’t have any “mental heath issues” before his massacre.
Oh and I have two words regarding the argument about a well armed militia: predator drone.
Bigger IS better
48” didn’t seem tall enough so I jumped up
to 60”
The upside
Of no one really caring about your work is it free’s you up to create stuff that will probably piss people off!
Freedom
Something, something
That Point
where you have to walk away for a while and build more stretcher bars so you don’t screw up your painting and keep objectivity.
While You
While you were exchanging political barbs on social media and marching past my old cracker box apartment in Capitol Hill with home made signs - I was toiling away documenting the events of the time with paint and trowel. Sacrificing what little I had left. Not for some inflated sense of ego or critical acclaim, not for the chance to ship my work into the middle of conservative America on my own dime. And while I’ll most likely never have thousands of Instagram followers or make 60k a year from selling art, maybe just maybe, some little kid that finishes tests early so they can draw on the back of the paper will get dragged to an art exhibit by their mom or dad, see one of my paintings and be inspired to actually creating something. Do something other than napping and walking the dog, working a cubical job that doesn’t really mean anything just like everyone else. Maybe they’ll spend all their free time creating something beautiful.
Divided
I've been trying to wrap my head around WTF happened in Charlottesville Virginia and all I can come up with is thanks America for still being awful and making my work even more relevant. Torches and chanting, armed militia wandering the streets, a clear lack of police force, it was a recipe for complete chaos and tragedy. Unfortunately that's how things eventually unfolded. I'd like to think someday people will look back at my work (hopefully in a museum) documenting the last eleven months - the social and political maelstrom that's been 2016/ 17, and they'll say something like "man this guy was ahead of his time, and had his finger to the pulse of what was really going on." But trying to compete with meaningless art in the digital age is freaking exhausting and demoralizing.
Artist Reception
Join myself and Donny Dixon this Friday August 11th from 6-9p for the artist reception for our exhibitions. Core New Art Space 900 Santa Fe Dr.
Blurb
Nice change from the recycled version of our respective PR.
The King is Dead
48 in x 48 in, first panel of a diptych from my all new series of paintings. Santa Fe Dr is closed tonight for the biggest first Friday of the year!