Artist Statement: “Duke in Blue" visually embodies the soul of pianist Ellis Marsalis Jr. The piano received red and black acrylic pinstriping with three reliefs of Marsalis depicted on both front and sides of the Baldwin piano. Coincidentally, this is the same model Marsalis kept and played at his home. The images are from one of his last Jazzfest performances where he dawns his classic hat and vest. The piano provides a stately and conservative red and black contrast, flanked with the drippy and semi-abstract style to convey the spontaneity of his music. Both straight and organic lines are used to create a spectrum of movement within the painting.
"I have always had an issue with writing my name on things. The public domain is where I am most free to express myself. My thoughts are unconfined. My movement's unrestricted. You can either find me painting in the field or in the privacy of my home, painting on canvas. My current self-exploration has mainly been composed of acrylic paint, usually limited to black and white. Aerosol, however, has been the backbone to my work for years. The combination of the two has allowed me to revisit my past and cross-compare it with the present."</div> <div></div> <div>Most prolific in New Orleans, La., the contemporary folk/street artist incorporates many advertising themes and techniques into his public works. For gallery-based work, mixed media and acrylic/aerosol are commonly used. Known to use several types of paper (from wax blueprints, vintage music sheets, WWI journal entries, etc.) in his works, Preacher experiments with the concepts of familiarity and historical depth. Though based in the “bible-belt” of the Southeast, Preacher’s plethora of work is not religiously charged. A visual dialogue is created in most of his works, drawing from themes of economics and commonly accompanied with aggressive sticker, moniker, and wheat pasting techniques.
