Space Lab/ City Walls pop-up artist exhibition hosted the Charles McGee Studio

 Last Friday I had the most incredible opportunity to participate in an artist exhibition hosted at the Charles McGee Studio in Detroit. I was amongst 25+ artists, and the creative energy that evening was incredible. Two of my canvases were part of the show, and wanted to share them here along with their statements.

Let me know what you think:

Visionary

An idea often begins small, like a tiny wisp of a seed.

And as we draw breath, we release the possibilities of what our visions should be.

But we face obstacles and failure.

We grasp and pull. We tighten and release. We search for opportunities and connections to make these dreams into reality, unaware of the metamorphism set into motion, giving beauty to the solutions of what can be.

Detroit’s Watch

Detroit is a unified force of innovation and artistic expression.

Creativity and craftsmanship paired with ingenuity and grit, fuel the City of Detroit’s march toward a greater tomorrow:

*The carving chisel was inspired by Marshall Fredricks’ thumbprint on the City -The Spirit of Detroit, and the automotive clay and wood model carvings.

*The spray paint represents the graffiti artists who contributed to Detroit’s wealth of street art, drawing visitors from all over.

*The Welder represents the automotive industry and the public art metal sculptures that pepper the tri-county area.

*The paint brush was inspired by the large scale public art murals, reflecting the communities they were designed for, especially one of Detroit’s renowned jewels: The Diego Rivera Industry mural in the DIA.

*The forming hand is sculpting clay, inspired by the historical Pewabic Company, and many local ceramic artists.

*The hand holding the mechanical pencil sketches and drafts blueprints of Detroit’s historical architectural icons and automotive designs. 

All coming together to build and design a stronger tomorrow.

The face of the wrist watch, a succulent flower, is a symbol of Detroit’s tenacity in facing challenges and hardships. It also represents the City’s strength and a nod to the Urban Farming taking root in local neighborhoods -abandoned lots converted into gardens to grow food. The outer edge of the face is a partial gear, a sign that Detroit has not forgotten its roots, but has a new vision on the horizon.

The decorative stripe on the wrist straps highlight various designs and architectural trends, spanning decades, collectively creating one of the most iconic skylines: The City of Detroit. The City’s bridges, Ambassador and Belle Isle (flipped upside down to look like the Detroit River waves), complete the design.