TJ Griffin
Mind Island

​September 21 - October 19, 2019
​​RO2 ART | CEDARs
1501 S. Ervay st., Dallas, tx 75215

September, 2019
​Ro2 Art | Dallas, TX

Ro2 is proud to present Mind Island, a solo exhibition featuring new works by artist TJ Griffin. The show will run from September 21 through October 19, 2019. There will be an artist reception held on Saturday, September 21 from 7-10 PM at Ro2’s Cedars gallery located at 1501 S. Ervay Street, Dallas, TX 75215. ​

ARTIST STATEMENT

This show is composed of a series of paintings and drawings on paper. Each painting starts with a process of acrylic paint wash, dripping, splashing, and gestural brushing a base layer to build upon. Beginning the paintings in this fashion allows for chance to create the skeleton upon which I build my fantasy. Each of these works is a meditation in exploring my imagination; becoming an island of thought in the ocean of my mind. As I set with these abstract fields of color, I allow my awareness to create form and structure out of the paint and gestural brush strokes. Working into these forms with brush and paint-pen the images begin to appear. I really enjoy this process. I have built up a library of symbols in my head which are referenced in each work. The human form, creatures, and plants come together in this paradise of thought.

The drawings and a few of the paintings portray Universopithecus. This creature is the organism we refer to as the Universe. 

This body of work has been very influenced by my studies of consciousness and the human perception of reality. With everything in the universe being vibrations of energy, our perceptions create the world as we know it. I reference this thought through my process and imagery.  Whether perceived through the senses or just through our imaginations, all perception is real to the one conscious of it. The worlds that exist only in thought are as real as the ones we experience as a collective. 

From chaos to structure these works are formed into symbolic mind-islands for all to explore. 

ABOUT THE ARTIST 

Originally from the small town of Union City Oklahoma, T.J. Griffin moved to the Dallas area in 2004.​

​His work has been shown since 2007. In 2008 he received the DeGolyer Awards to Artists grant from the Dallas Museum of Art.

T.J. graduated with his Bachelor in Art and Performance from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2008 and continued on to receive his MFA in 2010. T.J. had his first solo show in 2010 at the University of Texas at Dallas. While working on his PhD in Aesthetic Studies at The University of Texas Dallas, he has begun doing research on identity, superheroes, and masks.

He has been accepted into numerous juried shows, including The Rising Eyes of Texas in Rockport, Texas, where he received the second place award. In 2011, his work was accepted into the juried art expo at 500x gallery in Dallas, Texas and the annual No Dead Artists exhibit, a national juried show at Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans, LA. His work has been hosted by Ro2 Art Gallery in various shows since 2011, including three solo-exhibitions.