Portraying Women

WHO:
Featuring: jeffrey equality brooks, Monica Brown, Faith Humphrey Hill, and Jesse Howard

WHEN:
Exhibition Dates: Oct 9 - Nov 15, 2024
Artists' Reception: Thurs, Oct 10, 3:30 to 6:30 pm with remarks at 4:30.

WHERE:
Visual Arts Gallery, at Governor’s State University
1 University Parkway, University Park, IL 60484 building F

WHAT:
contemporary figurative works done in non-traditional media

 

I’m excited to bring my work to the Visual Arts Gallery. “Portraying Women” is a group show with 4 artists who … you guessed it didn’t you? :) It’s a great-looking show i’m stoked to be part of it. Those who know my work know that my pieces are mostly built up from spraying automotive paints with mega-detailed cut one-time-use stencils. In this artwork, you’ll also see 24k gold , silver and copper leaf, gems, stacks of resin, and of course, you’ll see my obvious love affair with hot rod paints with oodles of metal flakes and candied paints. You can click into any of these images to get more info about materials and sizes as well as more detailed photos.
To purchase contact me directly.

Before i show you this work i’d like to say, in short, my goal is to produce compulsively “lookable” paintings that make you say “shit i’ve felt like that.” My work at its core has this goal, and reminds us to beware of thoughts that are not your own, while we hunt for genuine connection.

Also a thank you to the team at Visual Arts Gallery for including me with these other amazing artists.

These are two of the seven halos created for this series and are 40”x40”. This series is built off a pearlized and aluminum paint base that was hit with a metal flake. Subsequent layers (oh, which there are a ton of) are transparent or “candies”, this again affords the viewer a chance to peer into the paint to see the sparkle below. Halos are 24k gold and copper, then the pieces are finished off with an automotive clear coat, which I think looks awesome, but it’s pretty hard to photograph. Here (link ) is a super small video of how I make these paintings.

The topic of the paintings in my halo series focuses on the difficult necessity of active choice when moving from generational beliefs and traditions. All the while, completely acknowledging that I’m relying on arcane visual language to add gravitas.

i refuse to accept these horrors as a divine plan
: is my response to very common adage we hear every time something bad or tragic happens, or the ubiquitous inshallah.
if you choose to fail us now we will never forgive you:
This one is the most recent i’ve done in the series and was one of those “i’m gonna get this painting right or die in this room trying.” I’m gonna suggest that you click on the image if you’d like to get a deeper read on the visual vocabulary being used here and see some details why this one was such a challenge to make.




quiet as a domino: one of two paintings in a mini-series: This one and the other (now sold) : “Across Your Blanket Of Stars” are made by carving out the graphic shapes out of the slab of resin i pour, then i fill those voids with gems, once full i seal and polish them up.
click into the image to get a closer look.


These two are very early works in two-color reductions.

Emily in blue: is quite literally the first piece i did that opened this body of work. i feel it has a tranquil feeling in both palette and pose.
Stacey: i think in a strange way, this is a painting or photo i’d always wanted to get and make. one day Stacey came over, sat down, it was effortless. I love the colorway on this one too.


These two works follow a reduced palette idea as well, but also explore some new mediums.

as the free fall advances: is the first of these carved and exotic material pieces i’m enjoying making. I say first but she is infact is the 11th attempt. But i really enjoy the simplicity of the poplar and white enamel.
and She Laughed Like She'd Never Been Scared:
sometimes you have an idea and you spend months and a ton of money and there are many many times where you have no idea if your invention is gonna work. Laughed was one of those pieces. The foreground is a 24 karat gold leaf that is so bright it looks like a mirror made of gold. when your standing in front you see yourself looking back, then move to the side and the image become clear. I hope you click into this one and check out on the other views, as well as a short video to get a better idea of how this one reads in real life.




Ok, guys, that is what I’m showing for “Portraying Women” at the Visual Arts Gallery at Governor State University.
I’m showing with the exceptional artists: Monica Brown, Faith Humphrey Hill, and Jesse Howard and I’m truly honored to show with these artists,

Every image is clickable for more detailed photos, material and size info and some even have short videos :) !

I hope you decide to come out and see the show in person. If you aren’t in the area and are looking to purchase one of these artworks please reach out to me directly.

WHO:
Featuring: Jeffrey Equality Brooks, Monica Brown, Faith Humphrey Hill, and Jesse Howard

WHEN:
Exhibition Dates: Oct 9 - Nov 15, 2024
Artists' Reception: Thurs, Oct 10, 3:30 to 6:30 pm with remarks at 4:30.

WHERE:
Visual Arts Gallery, at Governor’s State University
1 University Parkway, University Park, IL 60484 building F

WHAT:
contemporary figurative works done in non-traditional media