TJ Griffin
CONNECTION
Extended through February 17, 2018
OPENING: Saturday, January 20, 7-10 PM
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Extended through Feb. 17, 2018
Ro2 Art |
Ro2 Art is pleased to present Connection, a solo exhibition by artist TJ Griffin. The show will run from January 20 – February 10, 2018. There will be an opening reception held Saturday, January 20, from 7-10 p.m. at Ro2 Art’s Downtown Pop-Up, located at 1508 Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75201.
TJ Griffin’s artwork from his upcoming show Connection, is a continuation of his recently published illustrated poetry book Existence. His current work walks a thin line between Expressionism, Illustration, and contemporary figure painting. Emotions run deep through the eyes and expressions of his figures, with a striped nose symbolizing the metaphorical mask we wear in our everyday lives. The figures become portraits of our emotional state of mind; the colors are electric, painted with a loose brush and rendered with simplicity. His work has a push and pull of depth, with patterns moving in and out of figures into backgrounds. Alive with emotion, his work begs you to enter this otherworldly place. |
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ARTIST
TJ Griffin |
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 Awards to Artist DeGolyer grant from the Dallas Museum of Art. He graduated with his Bachelor in Art and Performance from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2008. While continuing to show in the Dallas area, through organizations such as the Nomad Arts Group, T.J. continued on to receive his MFA in 2010. T.J. had his first solo show in 2010 at the University of Texas at Dallas. In 2011, He. has been accepted into numerous juried shows, including The Rising Eyes of Texas in Rockport Texas where he received the second place award. His work was accepted into the 2011 juried art expo at 500x gallery in Dallas, Texas. His work was accepted into the 2011 annual No Dead Artist exhibit, a national juried show with Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans, LA. His work was featured in three group shows with RO2 Arts in 2011. In 2010 T.J. began working toward his Phd in Aesthetic studies at the University of Texas Dallas. Through his studies he has begun doing research on identity, superheroes, and masks.
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ARTIST STATEMENT
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“My artwork is an examination of my imagination, given life from the most simplistic form of motion. My inspiration comes from my experiences in life. This current body of work is a continuation of my book Existence. Further exploring the ideas of life, love, death, and psychology. Focusing on empathy, connection, and our lack of understanding of existence. As I make my way through the day I cannot help but feel the emotions of others. An expression in someone’s face, combined with the smell and sound of the winds blowing by, stick with me becoming more vivid and bright as it forms in my memory. This combination of senses is best expressed in the visual form. I see my characters as being from another world or parallel universe. Obscure proportions, big bold eyes, and a stripe for a nose. They are not quite human but still familiar. They are more than portraits of a person; they are portraits of feelings and emotions. They are the translation of my experiences filtered through my imagination. I use a stripe on the face as a metaphor for the psychological masks people wear everyday. I feel the masks we all wear inhibit connection and if we could remove these masks our connections would burn brighter. My focus is to grow and explore this universe that exists in my mind.
I constantly sketch out ideas. Through a combination of processes, I give life to my visions. Letting go of control and allowing for chance creates a skeleton for my mind to build upon. From here I render out the shapes and forms allowing my imagination to take control. Intention and chance collide to form my artwork.” |
