ajaiart – AjaiArt

First-First Friday

The First Friday of 2016 was a bit slow as many folks were still trying to recover from the celebrations from the New Year’s Eve parties all over town the night before…but somehow, a few folks still made it out! Thanks for stopping by and it was great to see some old friends from my old TV days. It was really nice to see my large paintings on a wall that fits them. They really need a good home with large walls and maybe even high ceilings! If you are interested in buying either of these large paintings, get them while they are still at the gallery. Contact me before they come down and I will work with you on the price! Wheelin’ and dealin’…that’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout! These pieces aren’t small…each one is 96×48…that’s 8 feet wide for those who don’t know it.

After realizing that the First Friday wasn’t a big success for turn out, the gallery decided to have another Fake First Friday on the second Friday. Much better turn out and it was great fun to participate in a large scale live drawing with lots of other artists!

December Salon

What a wonderful show set salon style by the fabulous Maddy Jane at Red Wolf Gallery! So many works of art to look at and only a few hours to see it all! It was a really great show and many friends showed up to support all the artists including of few of mine! Thanks guys…you know who you are! Red Wolf Gallery is a creative space dedicated to fostering connections between local and visiting artists of all disciplines and is THE best place to go to see art of all kinds and for every pallet and sensibility you can imagine!

November First Friday

November’s First Friday at Red Wolf Gallery was full of folks and great conversations and fantastic art by some of Denver’s best! I was privileged enough to be a part of the event with some of my recent works like Maslow’s 2, a recent painting fashioned after a painting I did a few years ago called Maslow’s that was featured here in this article from Westword.

I also had some totem paintings that seemed to attract a bit of conversation and interest…

But the paintings that seemed to strike up the most conversation and bring the most interest were the set of 8 that I call Oppression. All 4 pieces, Maslow’s, Maslow’s 2, Totems and Oppression, hung together to form a sort of yin yang and represented the essence of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs with my own spiritual twist on what’s happening in the world right now.

Many thanks to the many friends that showed up to hang out and help me show off my work…Vanna White style!

Exhibitions

2015

Red Wolf Gallery, November Group Exhibition, Denver, CO
Wazee Union, 2nd Annual Invitational Group Exhibition, Denver, CO
Red Wolf Gallery, CAG 87th Annual Members Exhibition, Denver, CO
Red Wolf Gallery, September Group Exhibition, Denver, CO
Red Wolf Gallery, August Group Exhibition, Denver, CO
Flavors of Colorado, Invitational Art and Craft Fair, Avon, CO
Aurora Arts Festival, Art and Craft Fair, Aurora, CO
Hirschfeld Gallery, Group Exhibition, Denver, CO
Hospice of Metro Denver Mask Project, Denver, CO

2014

Solid Grounds, Invitational Exhibition, Centennial, CO
Wazee Union, Invitational Group Exhibition, Denver, CO
Edwin A. Bemis Public Library, CAG 86th Annual Members Exhibition, Littleton, CO

2013

Vida Ellison Gallery, CAG 85th Annual Members Exhibition, Denver, CO

2012

910 Arts, CAG 84th Annual Juried Exhibition, Denver, CO
Vida Ellison Gallery, CAG 84th Annual Member’s Exhibition, Denver, CO
Core New Art Space, WOW, Juried Group Exhibition, Denver, CO
Hirschfeld Gallery, CAG Group Exhibition, Denver, CO
Core New Art Space, Spirituality, Juried Group Exhibition, Denver, CO

2011

Core New Art Space, Dreams, Juried Group Exhibition, Denver, CO

2010

Victorian Peaks, The Unveiling, Invitational Group Exhibition, Parker, CO

2008

Denver Open Media, Dig Vid Art, Juried Group Video Exhibition, Denver, CO
Shwayder Art Building, DU, Single Channel Video, Juried Group Exhibition, Denver, CO
AjaiArt, Spring Forward, Live Video and Music Event, Denver, CO

2007

Downtown Aurora Visual Arts (DAVA), Raku Pottery Exhibition, Aurora, CO

2006

Capsule Art & Event Center, SPH Bronze Casting Performance and Sculpture Exhibition, Denver, CO
VSA arts of Colorado, 199 Pieces of Art on the Wall, Mixed media, Denver, CO
Art Department, MSCD, Student Exhibition, Painting, Denver, CO
Center for Visual Art, BFA Thesis Exhibition, Denver, CO
Art Department, MSCD, Student Exhibition, Drawing, Denver, CO
Burris Hall Gallery, New Mexico Highlands University, Iron in the West, Las Vegas, NM
5th International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art, Iron Bridging Art and Technology: Past, Present and Future, Online Exhibition, Telford, England

2005

Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art, Society for the Preservation of Humanity (SPH) Bronze Performance, Fort Collins, CO
Art Department, MSCD, Student Exhibition, Visual Thinking, Denver, CO
Auraria Campus, Iron-Casting Performance with Visiting Artist Hopi Breton, Denver, CO

2004

Art Department, MSCD, Student Exhibition, 2-D Design, Denver, CO

2003

Art Department, MSCD, Student Exhibition, Computer Imaging, Denver, CO

1998

Cherry Creek Mall, Hospice of Metro Denver Mask Project, Denver, CO

Bio

Art and the creative process have been a part of my life since the beginning. Raised as the only child of a “starving artist” from a long line of artists and artisans, the fear of starvation created a fear of art and I hesitated to embrace my creative side until I was in my late 30s. My fear of art as a means of survival lead me to a diverse education and crazy career path. From truck driving to television engineer… and from theology to Journalism and logistics, I learned anything and everything I thought I needed to at the time. I was eventually awarded a couple pieces of paper that say I’m educated in Computer Imaging with a BFA from Metropolitan State University of Denver with a minor in Sculpture and a Masters Degree from the University of Denver in Digital Media Studies.

I love digital media but was intrigued by the tactile application of many of my art classes and especially by the feel and flow of paint, so I embarked on a journey thru the world of pigment for a more sensual and expressive experience. I often prefer paint, but will pick up whatever medium I feel I need to accomplish my mission of creating.

Driven by a desire to reach my full potential in art and the creative process, I continually strive to perfect my craft and to help others do the same. If I’m not making stuff, I’m teaching others how to make stuff…If you want to learn more about who I am and what I’m really about, check out my living blog at http://bohemiantiger.com/

Artist Statement

“The artistic and creative force is within each of us…I just let it out when it scratches at the door. I look beyond the obvious. I find images in the spaces between and the areas overlooked by many. All I do is open my eyes and the images find me.”

I’ve often told others that my hands are guided by something other than myself… I do not create images. They find me in my dreams and on my quests for knowledge and journeys through life.

These images manifest via mind and spirit… taking over matter and medium and encouraging it to rise to a higher expression. I am merely an active participant in the process.

I have learned to recognize from a collection of possibilities what resonates most strongly with my dreams and personal vision and choose to pursue images and projects that reflect the expression of my soul.