COLLECTION ONE

Pride to be Punk, to be out of the ordinary, the way to be different and fearless of a society ready to judge and persecute who doesn’t appear to be “normal”.

The Punk Pride Women painting by Gig Crisa wants to contain the energy of the reaction to bigotry and blindness indifference in which we navigate these times. 

The colorful shapes of a free soul, the courage of a person capable to change the word standing in their own universe. 

Gigi started working on this painting during the dawn of Covid pandemic and the events following the killing of George Floyd, in an historic period of violence, ambiguity, and uncertain circumstances. 

Punk Pride Women is a figure that materialized in front of the canvas with the provocative intention to be rebellious, unique and pride. 

Punk Pride Women is the way to be yourself and different in a world always on edge. 

"Beach Expression" is an abstracted expression of the Santa Barbara beach experience. Underlying bright colors reference bright beach umbrellas, towels and sunsets, complemented by gestural brushstrokes in colors of white and sand. Pencil markings are added to create dimension, detail and are part of the artist's identifying technique. 

In "Lost Light" Delesalle uses spontaneous gestural markings with acrylic, oil pastel and pencil to reflect the artists inner subconscious state during a lost and darkened time. Hope and light are interjected with brush-strokes emulating a lightness suggesting an imminent end to the dark period.

In "United Colors" Delesalle uses a multitude of colors blended together as a nod to United Colors of Benetton ad campaigns from the 1980s, where Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani launched a series of ads that were designed to be explicit celebrations of diversity and inclusivity. Delesalle felt that this message was important to portray in the wake of the 2020 George Floyd Protests. 

Chris Gocong is a visual artist with a passion for capturing emotion through portraiture, figurative art and abstraction. The main body of his work is inspired by the commonality of human emotion and consciousness. His pursuit in portraiture is less about copying features to reproduce a likeness, but rather trying to capture the multiple emotional layers of the subject.

Although portraiture is his main interest, Chris doesn’t limit himself to one mode—his artistic expression ranges from cosmic abstractionism, exploratory textural pieces, to visually striking pop art and everything in between. At exhibits, viewers often comment that the collection looks as though it was painted by multiple artists rather than one. Looking deeper though, the common theme throughout can be teased out: the human condition.

Chris prefers to paint with acrylic on canvas, as he tends to paint quickly utilizing layers to achieve the desired visual.

Chris was drafted to the NFL from Cal Poly SLO where he studied biomedical engineering. He played 7 years as a linebacker for the NFL (Philadelphia Eagles ’06-’10;Cleveland Browns ’10-‘12). He came to find art as a creative outlet and meditative practice after retiring from football. He lives in Santa Barbara with his wife and two daughters.

Website: https://www.saatchiart.com/chrisgocong

Pour Your Heart Out is an attempt to remind both the artist(s) and viewer: where and when it counts, do not be held back by limitations from within and without. Put it all out there and embrace life or risk regret.

This iconic portrait of Donyale Luna, known as the “first black supermodel,” is intentionally painted in a monochromatic royal purple hue, inviting the viewer to see past shades of skin and be drawn in by the eyes. Donyale’s rise to fame in the late 60’s marks a turning point in the fashion industry’s view of what was considered to be beautiful.

The techniques I am using today to construct my sculptural pieces are self-taught. The choice of material to express my intentions is rooted in my early teenage years growing up in Germany, where an unbreakable bond with the street culture of skateboarding was created. Having skateboarding in my life gave me a direction and a new family of friends when I needed them the most. Over the years, I learned to see the potential in old skateboards: old graphics, scrapes, scratches, letters, words, and marks that streets could only give you and stories that streets could only tell you.

My production process is straightforward. At first, I deconstruct the material with a scroll saw into the shapes and colors I need, and then I proceed to inlay every color piece into each other to create a dimensional quality to my work. All colors, scratches and marks are part of the original piece of material and all that is carefully and intentionally selected to be part of every subject I chose to create. Like other artists, I deal with different things in my life, so my personal experiences help me choose the stories I want to tell.

~ Inga Guzyte

Website: http://www.ingaguzyte.com

This piece was created as part of the "City Scape" series, celebrating the unique and artistic character of the Funk Zone. Here, the artist has chosen to depict one of the few last standing historical buildings of the Funk Zone in the light of the moon. Guzyte also likes to call this piece " Thousand and One Night in the Funk Zone".