GreatEclectic at Studio 900

My Favorite from the show. Photo from Art Nouveau Mag.

Last night I went to the Debut Solo exhibit of Kendrick Daye a.k.a. GreatEclectic called "Want to See a Sad Boy Smile? Pay him."  I had read about the artist and one night only how in the Creative Loafing article the very same day and decided it would probably be fun.

The show was entirely free, complete with music and a bar sponsored by Tree of Life.  The people watching was extraordinary and plenty of photographers were there to capture the trendy styles and the going ons of the party partakers.  I wasn't so impressed by much of the music excepting the final act which featured a mind blowing performance by a chick with a guitar with an incredibly powerful voice.

Photo from Art Nouveau Mag.

As for the work, I definitely enjoyed it and was attracted to the bright colors and haphazard collage style.  GreatEclectic's work is incredibly fresh and current, constantly keeping up with the media and huge icons.  For this reason, I knew that I would have difficulty with some of it because I always seem to be behind the times on current icons, particularly when it comes to the field of music.  Still, I definitely enjoyed the work and my co-conspirator for this event was able to identify all the subjects for me.

My problems with the work were mostly technical.  Corners of pasted on fragments come up off the papers and I am always distracted by that kind of technical detail.  Still, the artist, when I asked him about, agreed that at fist it bothered him too but it had become a part of the aesthetic and style and he simply had to accept that it was going to happen considering the way he works.  I'm not sure I think it looks intentional enough which is pretty important for that kind of style: either make it clean or make it look entirely intentional...I mentioned my favorite collage tool to solve this problem, durmaount, and he said he had been meaning to check it out.

Also, what should be noted about this artist is that he started the magazine Art Nouveau in 2007 and it has already won awards.  This guy is definitely someone I admire for his will and ability to accomplish the things he needs to to advance his career as an artist.