On display at Solas from September 17th - September 20th
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY <- Click here to make a viewing appointment

Artist Statement:
"Poets are truth tellers, philosophers and artists all rolled into one. They challenge readers to infer between the lines for deeper meaning and embellish eternal questions with their evocative style and flair. This recent series of paintings is inspired by my deep reverence for poets, poetry, and its connection to my life and work. The life stories of these poets have fascinated me for years. I have composed portraits of them in my cut-up collage style inspired by beat, dada and surrealist writings. I consider myself a poet as my paintings tend to tell a story. I have tried to pair these portraits with elements that speak to their respective poet’s life experience.

The work of these poets is one of the last bastions of a bygone age where we craved a less concrete or linear approach to the written word. Writing poetry is a brave and often irrational act. It is not methodical or bound to reality. It is reminiscent of the truest kinds of music and painting. Simultaneously improvisational and profound and following inspiration wherever it may go, the poet grasps into the darkness of thought in search of the perfect line. These works help cut through the noise of modern life. In our era I believe poetry provides a unique challenge to audiences: to sit meditatively with it in search of meaning. We need more poetry in today’s age as an antidote to our culture of instant gratification. I invite you into a world of verse, associations and the stories of these often tormented souls whose pursuit of the indescribable has always been so inspiring to me in my pursuit of art." - John De La O