ABOUT THE ARTIST
Chic Connell is a Birmingham, Alabama self-taught artist who is showing for the fourth time in this gallery. His visually aggressive works draw upon desperation, loyalty, humility, devotion and prophecy, which he then interprets, processes, creates and forms into his own language. He has shown in numerous exhibitions, and is in collections throughout the United States. He works as a commercial artist and has done work for Reebok, DKNY, Anna Sui and Andrew Buckler.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

“Flavors of Pink, Taste like Asphalt”, my recent collection of paintings is a group of franticly haphazard, but, methodically slammed together pieces. These small pieces were initially meant to be pre-studies for bigger, more heroic paintings. They are full of collage, various print methods, drawings and paint. Along the way I became totally enamored with them and treated them as tiny mental diaries, free to spatter any ridiculous and totally irrelevant thought I had on to them. In the end the sum is a coherent visual train of thought.

The title refers to my sweet and sour approach to the subject matter. When the mood was too heavy I just smeared pink or cloud blue across the face of the paintings and called it done. You can see an assorted cast of characters, from movie stars and apocalyptic messengers, to childlike fairytale figures, and lots of girls with mustaches.

Although some of the processes used are very sophisticated, I also used a build, tear-down, create and destroy method to the surfaces, leaving the pieces with a raw energy that I consider a must.