NEW ARTWORK FROM JAMES GRADY

Not to boost his ego or be bias or anything, haha, but my friend James Grady is possibly one of the greatest young artists of our generation. About 10 days ago, I received an email from him which I'm posting here unabridged. His work is amazing. I suggest you get hip to him or be on the bandwagon when he's outchea...

"N/A
6' x 4'
Acrylic on Canvas


I started this painting in November of 2008, about a week or two after my Father was killed (November 4, 2008.) I worked on it for about two weeks before I took a 9 month break from it, and completed the painting in December 2009. The painting has gone through a few transformations in appearance and in meaning (as far as who/what it addresses.) The painting has little to do with Michael Jackson, I casted him to play my role in my simulated reality. In a sense i still use him in the context of the entertainer, a person to amuse and provoke the viewer, some one to be looked at....

I use “icons,” popular commodities and their human counterparts, the celebrity as metaphors or tropes for human desire and over consumption. I feel as though these pop emblems epitomize that concept and the moral "story" i was hinting at; they reference sex, drugs, alcohol or things we (or at least I) recognize or consider to be satisfying and/or comforting in a “time of need,” but those things aren’t necessarily in our best interest and may lead to one's downfall or demise."