An Eric Franklin Production: Styles is finally complete and on the walls of the Nth Gallery. It has been a lot of work and I hope the show is a huge success.
The show features 7 Styles. Tiger Style, Ghost Style, Murder Style, Crane Style, Claw Style, Thunder Style, and Flip Style. Each style is a different manifestation of Ryan and I's collaboration efforts. The process of collaboration is pretty exciting. It really adds a dynamic to the work when two people feed off of what each other are doing and find a plane to discuss and really hone in on each other's vision. However, it is also full of scheduling, waiting, dividing up work, very late nights and earlier mornings.
The inspiration for the exhibit comes from our actual styles of painting and how they relate (or not relate). Ryan's gridwork takes its visual form from urban maps. Layering up blocks on top of blocks on top of streets on top of corners. It takes on the visual clutter that is our urban areas. My abstract forms are painted with a process very similar to graffiti. Starting with loose composition of one or two bright colors, I then go in and accentuate the edges, and lines, with very dark contrast to give the composition a 3 dimensional form. The bright colors that come in later serve as highlights and really make the paintings look like an abstract form of graffiti layered on top and sometimes behind the gridwork of urban maps.
Speaking of the urban-ness. The show has taken on a sort of urban culture motif. Ryan and I have been mused by Hip Hop music and culture. The collaboration process relates a lot to this. Most hip hop and rap music is built on collaboration. Look up your favorite rap album. Chances are at least half, if not all, of the tracks are "____ Feat. ____" with this track produced by this guy and this one by that guy. Many different styles of hip hop and rap music are birthed from this. Just as we have created several styles.
I guess thats about all I can say. I hope to see the whole world at the show. This is a painting exhibit you don't want to miss.
One Love,
Jonathan. (half of the eric franklin production)
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