Franklinton Friday on February 11th was fun! There was a very different vibe from January, which featured landscapes & mindscapes. I went with my brother and, as we walked up to the first art space, we heard a loud guitar solo from a metal band called Life of Crime. Wild Goose Creative was having an opening for a show called “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly.” It was an awesome show featuring 3 artists with edgy tattoo inspired styles: Jimbo Tamoro, J-bo James, and Joey Knuckles. Each of the artists works in a different medium, but displayed together parlor style, their differences really compliment each other. What I would give to see them do a collaboration!
We went to the Vanderelli Room next, and I’m not sure if the art wizards of Franklinton coordinated this, but the February exhibit called “Dissonance” was equally, if not more edgy than the Wild Goose show. Artist Gwen AP created large scale canvases stretched to the walls featuring distressed subjects. The exhibit was intense and is described as “a visual representation of the mental battles we all fight, on varying scales. The demons that lurk deep inside. We all have them. Are you brave enough to put them on display? “ I was blown away by how AP uses a seemingly limited color pallet & scale to create an intense experience for the viewer.
Last, but not least, we stopped by 400 W Rich St to visit studios and met a sculptor who had just moved to Columbus from Colorado! His name is Jason Johnson and can be found at johnsttonsculpture.com. He creates imaginative bronze figures that give the viewer a new perspective on life. One of my favorites is of a man sitting cross legged on planet earth. He’s using a large needle and thread to stitch it together. We had a great conversation about integrating physical sculptures into 3D digital spaces.
