From the press release:
“I have always found the subway to be one of the most private places in the city. In a town that is always on the move, the trains provide a brief reprieve from the hustle and bustle on the surface.”
The subway is a place where one can collectively let their guard down and for ELBOW-TOE a platform to explore psychological drawing. He uses time on the train to push form, using distortion and exaggeration to reveal the inner character sensed in the person sitting directly across from him. ELBOW-TOE finds that working in such an intimate space requires a huge amount of focus for the pen to flow and that this vulnerability allows greater empathy for the subject that he will draw.
The artist labels drawing as an act of sincerity, and to carry the intimacy of a sketchbook out into the open, with all its foibles is in fact refreshing. It was this sentiment that prompted him to begin translating these drawings onto doors around the city. “Liner Notes” presents sketchbooks that span from early in his street art career to present day alongside objects that serve as architectural surfaces for renditions of some of these studies and musings. A catalog will be released in conjunction with the opening featuring the words of Hrag Vartanian that reflects the survey of work presented.
Liner Notes at R. Jampol Project(s). Installation shot from the street.
From left:
Jazz Hands, Vital Mathematicians, Monday, The Memory Of You Is Never Lost Upon Me
Oil pastel and latex on found cabinet doors
From left:
My Rhythm Is Off Today, Eastbound and Down, Lean To, Jazz Hands
Oil pastel and latex on found cabinet doors
Dandruff Handshake
Oil pastel and latex on found cabinet door
Down By Law
Oil pastel and latex on found cabinet door
From left:
Colossus, A Tender Victory
Oil pastel and latex on found cabinet doors
Moleskine sketchbooks 2006 - 2014
Oil pastel on cabinet door
21.75 x 10.75 inches (55.2 x 27.3 cm)
Oil pastel on panel
23.5 x 13.75 inches (59.7 x 34.9 cm)
Oil pastel on cabinet door
14.75 x 35.5 inches
From the press release:
Brian Adam Douglas, who first came to public attention for his work on the streets of New York City under the moniker Elbow Toe, has contributed significantly to making collage relevant to the fine art discourse in recent years. Virtually all of the works in Douglas’ new series deal with the rebuilding of life and purpose in the wake of catastrophic deconstruction brought on by natural disasters and climate change(including overt references to Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy). They are not merely about the breaking down of things but about an innate capacity to cope with disaster and the rehabilitation of purpose. Spending up to half a year on a single piece, Douglas’ laborious process demands a pictorial integrity where nothing is wasted and everything serves his intensity of purpose. Forgoing the relative ease and fluidity of the brush stroke, the artist methodically builds his compositions through shards of color incised from sheets of paper he has painted, forging a novel way to combine painting and collage into a singular hybrid.
What is different about the works in How to Disappear Completely is that the human figures Douglas depicts, which have previously dominated his works, have receded in scale and are now subsumed by his landscapes that take foreground precedence. As a result, the viewer falls farther and farther back from the pictorial event itself. It’s a distance that seems as psychological as it is physical, as if the artist has found a way to step back from the world as a way of stepping into it.
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
30 5/16 x 36 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
20 11/16 x 30 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
31 x 20 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
30 x 20 5/8 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
48 x 38 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
72 x 52 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
30 x 14 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
72 x 36 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
72 inches diameter
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
81 3/4 x 54 3/4 inches
Cut paper on paper with UVLS varnish
40 x 30 inches
Cut paper on paper with UVLS varnish
24 x 34 inches
Charcoal on paper
21 x 32 26/32 inches
Charcoal on paper
37 11/32 x 16 23/32 inches
Charcoal on paper
14 14/32 x 16 3/8 inches
Charcoal and pastel on paper
42 x 29.5 inches
From the artist statement:
For my first solo show in the UK, Due Date, I am exploring my preconceived notions of parenthood and the opportunities for growth that come through that process. I am presenting a series of narratives that flirt the line between fact and fiction; they are moments of autobiography that have been extrapolated to become allegories. As an artist in the process of trying to become a parent and living in one of the most parent-centric sections of NYC, I am keenly aware of the mania that strikes at the heart of parents young and old. In these paintings I am addressing fears (loss of individuation as well as of the proverbial unknown), the strengthening of bonds in times of crisis, the issues of trying to become a parent later in life and the wisdom gained through the process of parenting.
The work is divided into two groups: a set of images on panels, and a set of images on paper. In the more fully realized works on panel, all the actions are taking place in staged environments. The elements surrounding the figures are merely cardboard props, strictly for the purpose of giving the action of the figures a point of reference. The action of the figures is the reality of the image, everything else is just window dressing. The paint drips and splashes act as abstract gestures clearing things away yet never managing to obscure the events occurring on the stage. In the works on paper, the events being described are contained in a sea of white. By the very nature of the presentation the gestures and relationships are isolated and distilled.
The current body of work builds upon a process of art making that I have been refining for several years. I refer to the work as paper paintings rather than as collage. I see each piece of paper as a brushstroke rather than as a juxtaposed idea. Each brushstroke is selected for it's color, value and texture, rather than it's imagery.
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
81 3/4 x 54 3/4 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
32 x 43 1/4 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
27 x 39 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
22 3/4 x 38 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
35 x 48 inches
Cut paper on paper with UVLS varnish
41 1/2 x 32 1/4 inches
Cut paper on paper with UVLS varnish
51 1/4 x 41 1/2 inches
Cut paper on paper with UVLS varnish
42 1/2 x 54 1/8 inches
Cut paper on paper with UVLS varnish
39 1/4 x 52 3/8 inches
Cut paper on paper with UVLS varnish
30 3/4 x 45 3/4 inches
Cut paper on paper with UVLS varnish
32 1/2 x 49 7/8 inches
Cut paper on paper with UVLS varnish
31 x 57 3/4 inches
Cut paper on paper with UVLS varnish
30 x 40 inches
Cut paper on paper with UVLS varnish
40 x 30 inches
Cut paper on paper with UVLS varnish
40 x 30 inches
Cut paper on paper with UVLS varnish
30 x 40 inches
From the press release:
Black Rat Press is delighted to invite you to our next exhibition ‘Ways of Seeing’. The show features works by Swoon, Matt Small and Brian Adam Douglas and explores the different approaches of these three contemporaries to figurative mark making.
Brian Adam Douglas is a Brooklyn based artist who for the past five years has been pasting up his distinctive woodcuts in cities all over the world under the name Elbow-Toe. His work is often grounded in myth, symbolism and poetry and his distinctive style has gained him an avid following of enthusiasts both within street art and the wider art world. Douglas is one of a group of classically trained New York based artists who have chosen the street as the primary place to exhibit their work, finding the immediacy of doing so more liberating than the confines of the traditional gallery system. For ‘Ways of Seeing’ Douglas has created a series of collages portraits. These intricate collages at first glance might be mistaken for paintings given that they have a fluidity rarely seen in collages. Whilst his work has a very definitely unique style it draws on a rich history of figurative painting and has qualities reminiscent of Freud and Bacon.
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
From the artist statement:
Mostly Memory is an allegory about memory's power to hold us back or move us forward. The central character in this parable is a 6 x 10 foot linocut of an Everyman, who has lost it all and wanders the plains with all his belongings strapped to his back. He navigates a world in crisis by learning from his past. The remainder of the characters that he encounters are individuals lost in regret.
I have developed these paintings and prints during the American housing and credit crisis of the past year. In contemplating where we are and where we might be, I have found myself looking back at history, remembering the Great Depression, and considering what effects it had on the American psyche. The uncertainty that existed then is present now, and I am addressing the kind of escapism through nostalgia that can occur in the midst of calamity. Every character that the Everyman sees is gripped by this need to escape their present circumstance. They are people lost in a memory at the very point when they should be paying attention to what lies ahead.
Many different artists have inspired the flavor of this world including the photography of Walker Evans, the films of the Cohen brothers, the music of Tom Waits and the theatre of Robert Wilson.
Linocut on velum with acrylic washes mounted on lumber on a birch support
79 inches x 120 inches
Acrylic paint and charcoal on prepared paper adhered to reclaimed lumber on a birch support.
Acrylic paint and charcoal on prepared paper adhered to reclaimed lumber on a birch support.
Acrylic paint and charcoal on prepared paper adhered to reclaimed lumber on a birch support.
Acrylic paint and charcoal on prepared paper adhered to reclaimed lumber on a birch support.
Acrylic paint and charcoal on prepared paper adhered to reclaimed lumber on a birch support.
Acrylic paint and charcoal on prepared paper adhered to reclaimed lumber on a birch support.
Acrylic paint and charcoal on prepared paper adhered to reclaimed lumber on a birch support.
Acrylic paint and charcoal on prepared paper adhered to reclaimed lumber on a birch support.
Acrylic paint and charcoal on prepared paper adhered to reclaimed lumber on a birch support.
For the 4 person show Poets Of The Paste, my imagery was built around flight. Much of the work was based upon images I had been installing on the street, and I had been fascinated at that time with imagery that explored different levels of physical space for the purposes of installation.
Woodcut with 4 layer stencil and acrylic paint mounted on reclaimed lumber mounted on a birch and oak support.
31 x 26 inches.
3 layer linocut on Japanese rice paper mounted on reclaimed lumber mounted on a birch and oak support.
39.5 x 27 inches.
Acrylic and charcoal on paper mounted on reclaimed lumber mounted on a birch and oak support.
32 x 36 inches.
Woodcut on Japanese rice paper mounted on reclaimed lumber mounted on a birch and oak support.
50 x 97 inches.
Acrylic and charcoal on paper mounted on reclaimed lumber. Muslin with cotton cables. All mounted on a birch and oak support.
33 x 72 inches
Charcoal and acrylic on craft paper, reclaimed wood, fabric, wood palettes, latex paint
Dimensions var
Charcoal and acrylic on craft paper, reclaimed wood, fabric, wood palettes, latex paint
Dimensions var
Charcoal and acrylic on craft paper, reclaimed wood, fabric, wood palettes, latex paint
Dimensions vary
Woodcut, decorative papers, reclaimed wood, nails, twine on birch plywood
Woodcut, decorative papers, reclaimed wood, nails, twine on birch plywood
Woodcut, twigs, reclaimed wood, nails, twine, fabric on birch plywood
Woodcut, stencil, fabric, reclaimed wood on birch plywood
Woodcut, stencil, book on birch plywood
Woodcut, decorative papers, reclaimed wood, acrylic, oilbar on birch plywood
Woodcut, reclaimed wood, on birch plywood
Woodcut, aluminum, reclaimed wood, nails, fabric, acrylic paint, twigs on birch plywood
Woodcut, cardboard paper, aluminum cans on birch plywood
Woodcut, stencil, aluminum, oilbar on birch plywood
Woodcut, stencil, aluminum, oilbar on birch plywood
Acrylic on wall
21 x 14 feet
Included in the Anthems for the Mother Earth Goddess at Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York
Image courtesy of Andrew Edlin Gallery
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
31 x 44 inches
Included in the Storytellers show at Snow Contemporary in Tokyo, Japan
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
31 x 26 inches
Included in the Storytellers show at Snow Contemporary in Tokyo, Japan
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
15 x 15 inches
Included in the Storytellers show at Snow Contemporary in Tokyo, Japan
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
29 x 39 inches
Included in the Storytellers show at Snow Contemporary in Tokyo, Japan
25 1/2 x 36 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
25 1/2 x 36 inches
Included in the Purple States show at Andrew Edlin Gallery, NYC
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
24 x 30 inches
Included in the White Noise Show at Black Rat Projects in London, England
Charcoal on paper
Included in the Run To The Hills show at Andenken Gallery in Denver, CO
Charcoal on paper
Included in the Run To The Hills show at Andenken Gallery in Denver, CO
Charcoal on paper
Included in the Run To The Hills show at Andenken Gallery in Denver, CO
Cut paper on found wood with UVLS varnish
24 x 37 inches
Included in the Eleven Show at Leonard Street Gallery in London, England
Woodcut on mylar, stencil on rice paper
24 x 37 inches
Included in the Eleven Show at Leonard Street Gallery in London, England
These portraits were executed between 2007 - 2009 and represent my first exploration with cut paper. The use of the paper is in my mind a more controlled version of paint, where my scalpel describes all the surfaces of each mark. I refer to the works as cut paper paintings as opposed to collage as the imagery is not built from juxtaposition of imagery. Many of the portraits used sign language as an hidden gesture within the imagery.
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
14 x 24 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
14 x 18 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
10 x 17 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
12 x 22 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
24 x 32 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
26 x 35 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
18 x 26 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
16 x 22 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
9 x 16 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
14 x 9 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
4 1/2 x 8 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
12 x 24 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
12 x 24 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
16 x 22 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
7 x 12 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
32 x 20 inches
Cut paper on paper with UVLS varnish
40 x 30 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
17 x 25 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
18 x 25 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
16 x 24 inches
Cut paper on birch panel with UVLS varnish
18 x 28 inches
Hand colored silkscreen on found wood with UVLS varnish, fabric, chickenwir
26 x 47 inches
Watercolor on linocut on archival paper
40 x 47 inches
Edition of 10
Available at Paper Monster
Hand colored silkscreen on 250 gram Stonehenge white paper.
26 x 41.5 inches
Edition of 10
Silkscreen on 250 gram Stonehenge white paper.
26 x 41.5 inches
Edition of 50
Hand colored silkscreen on 250 grams Stonehenge Natural White moulde-made paper.
21 x 31 5/8 inches
Edition of 10
Silkscreen on 250 grams Stonehenge Natural White moulde-made paper.
21 x 31 5/8 inches
Edition of 50
Silkscreen on 250 grams Stonehenge Natural moulde-made paper
Edition of 30
Silkscreen on 250 grams Stonehenge Natural moulde-made paper
Edition of 30
Silkscreen on 250 grams Stonehenge Natural moulde-made paper
Edition of 30
Silkscreen on 250 grams Stonehenge Natural moulde-made paper
Edition of 30
Silkscreen on 250 grams Stonehenge Natural moulde-made paper
Edition of 30
Silkscreen on 250 grams Stonehenge Natural moulde-made paper
Edition of 30
Silkscreen on 250 grams Stonehenge Natural moulde-made paper
Edition of 30
Silkscreen on 250 grams Stonehenge Natural moulde-made paper
Edition of 30
Silkscreen on 250 grams Stonehenge Natural moulde-made paper
Edition of 30
Silkscreen on 250 grams Stonehenge Natural moulde-made paper
Edition of 30
I have always found the subway to be one of the most private places in the city. In a town that is always on the move, the trains provide a brief reprieve from the hustle and bustle on the surface. Because it is a place where people collectively let their guard down, the subway is a perfect place to explore psychological drawing. I use the time on the train to keep pushing form, using distortion and exaggeration to reveal the inner character that I sense in the person sitting directly across from me on the train. Working in such an intimate space where everyone within arms reach can watch one work requires a huge amount of focus to get into a flow, and I find this vulnerability allows me greater empathy for the people that I am trying to attack with my line. I hold the view that drawing is the most sincere look at an artist, and to carry the intimacy of a sketchbook and journal out into the open, with all its foibles, I consider very refreshing. It was this sentiment that prompted me to begin translating these drawings onto doors around the city.
Watercolor pencil on Moleskine
10 x 8.25 inches
Felt pen on Moleskine
10 x 8.25 inches
Felt pen on Moleskine
10 x 8.25 inches
Watercolor pencil on Moleskine
10 x 8.25 inches
Felt pen on Moleskine
10 x 8.25 inches
Felt pen on Moleskine
10 x 8.25 inches
Felt pen on Moleskine
10 x 8.25 inches
Felt pen on Moleskine
10 x 8.25 inches
