It's often difficult to share something that was created in the dark recesses of your own mind.
Like many painters, writers and other forms of artist, the creations are made more to take the edge off something that stirs in your soul. Seeing those creations appreciated is often not a driving factor at the time and can sometimes come as a surprise when others see in your work something that inspires them. Or frightens them.
I created the Boris paintings as a response to my own dark place, and he answered passionately, but not easily. When it comes to Boris, I first sought to paint an ugly individual who wanted nothing more than to be left alone to explore his own unhappiness. When I shared my images on Facebook, and sought a name for the bald-headed grump, I met with positive results, which surprised me.
The darkness inherent in the paintings were generally well-received. My friend Sunny Murray even suggested the name Boris, which resonated so well with me that I couldn't call him anything else. And he went on to highlight the depression, anxiety and unhappiness that many of us feel deep inside every day. A theme began to form as well, stringent rules that I applied to each work as a way to challenge myself in setting a strict tone for the unrelenting Boris. The acrylic paintings, the ugliness of the landscape, were done in a way that I thought Boris would want them done. His notes were written to illustrate his thoughts, and duct taped to the canvass, as I thought he would want it done.
Now Boris will make an appearance in his first art exhibit and it's a fitting one for his type. A handful of Boris paintings, along with art from a wide array of talented painters and photographers, will be on display in Phoenix for Angelica Gallery's “Dark Art – The Exhibit” on Saturday, Sept. 17. The exhibit will begin at 5 p.m. and go to 10 p.m. The gallery is located at 3607 E. Campbell Avenue in the valley.
Having been the sole owner, and caretaker, of Boris this last year, I find it a little disconcerting to know the paintings are no longer in my possession. I can only compare it to being a father. When your children leave, you feel something is missing. That's how I feel now when I look around for my stack of eleven Boris paintings, but excited at the same time, knowing that dark place in my soul may find like-minded interest in those who gaze upon him.
