New Exhibition Opens 10/12!

Just a reminder, I have an exhibition of new paintings opening on October 12. The exhibition is titled Mastering The Art Of Contradiction and will feature a brand new series of paintings. The reception is from 5:00 – 7:00 but I plan on being there til close at 9:30 – 10:00. I will be more specific once I know more information. Hope to see you there!

Besharat Contemporary
163 Peters St. SW,
Atlanta, GA 30313
http://www.besharatcontemporary.com

The exhibition runs from October 12 – November 16. Please see gallery website for weekly hours. Here’s a picture of one of the new paintings. This one is called Sources And Methods.

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Photos of works in progress. I’ve still got a lot to complete.

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Art Studio Songs

Moving past, moving forward, moving beyond. Changes have a way of happening whether you want or need to them to or not. Big change, that’s the music I’ve been facing for a while.

I’ve been hunkered down in the studio for the last couple of months making a new series of art for a big solo exhibition in October. That also means I’ve been listening to music day and night. Listening and feeling music has always been a major part of my creative inspiration. Therefore I thought I’d share a few of my go to songs when working in the studio. I never grow tired of these songs and always want to listen to when making art. Keep in mind, this list is off the top of my head and represent only a sample of those go to songs.

Loyalty Lies In Atlanta

Back home in Atlanta, I decided to take on the notorious metal wall again. The one along the Beltline on Wylie Street. This is the wall I used last summer for three large scale works. This time, the ridges of the wall were not an issue because I was working much smaller than before.

So here are images of the first 25 posters I pasted up in Atlanta. I have more, there will be more coming up in the very near future. Maybe even tonight.

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LIES: Loyalty Above All Else

Loyalty above all else will result in lies of one kind or another.

My latest body of work is a series of posters promoting a brand called Lies. The slogan for the Lies brand is Loyalty Above All Else. This is an idea that was conceived and specifically made for the streets. This series is intentionally more straightforward than the non-sequitur based imagery I typically create.

These posters are intended to be a sign of the times. Direct statements about the culture we inhabit in 2017. They are statements that critique our political culture and consumer culture. This statement belongs on the street, not in a gallery.

In our political culture, facts are more often being manipulated beyond recognition. Beyond that we have a leader that doesn’t know how to lead. A man that values loyalty over honesty and integrity. In our consumer culture, manipulated facts are accepted and commonplace. Brand loyalty is what matters most.

At this point, the Loyalty Lies series includes 8 different posters that serve as advertisements promoting the Lies brand. The Lies brand logo comes in two versions (as seen in the first photograph). Background photos are my own (taken straight from my Instagram page). The future is wide open in regard to where this concept goes next.

Lies: Loyalty Above All Else.

 

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Above My Desk

I share my office with a few other professors but we rarely are in there at the exact same time. Sometimes, it seems like I have my own office. Overall, I like my office space. I have two windows and space to hang up a few things. The windows are important. I need to look something with space, a depth of field. The windows do the job well, on a clear day I can see for miles. The wall space above my desk has room for a few things.

Here’s what is hanging above my desk:
1. An important statement.
2. An appropriated Ramones logo with my own words added in place of theirs.
3. My own drawing representing communication.

What’s above your desk?

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Trash As Inspiration

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Regardless of what you do with your day, you have to stop to connect the dots and have a laugh, because life is hilarious.

One of my favorite things about being an artist is having the ability to be inspired by anything at anytime. Yesterday while doing some overdue yard work I ran across a few bits of trash amongst the pile of old leaves (see photo above).

Life is a metaphor for art. The moment and the meaning I have taken from finding the trash is now stuck in my consciousness. Why? Because of my opinions on the Valentine’s Day holiday. Also, especially now because of my divorce. Yes, word is out, slowly and quickly the news has gotten around. Catherine and I have gotten divorced.

You can bet this photo will be used in my art at some point in the future. It’s appropriate for appropriation. Art is a metaphor for life.