This artist has works that are available for purchase! Please contact info@thejusticeartscoalition.org for more information on which pieces are available, price, etc. Please put “Interest in purchasing (Piece(s), Artist’s Name)” in the subject line.
I am from a cup of coffee, from Folgers and now Keefe. I am from the small and simple apartment, and the cluttered, hectic, musty bedroom basement. I am from the raspberries growing in our backyard, until our dog shannon destroyed them, silly shepard. I am from me never saying “I Love You,” yet always … I am From – Brian Hindson
Artist Statement:
Regardless of what I’m painting, I really hope the viewer is left with some sort of impact. Be it a prison themed work or free world subject. I attempt to make you see it a little differently, maybe even better than the original.
“My favorite styles of work are both impressionism and pop art. Where I love the style of more impressionist art, I find the subject matter boring at times. The pop art genre I like because of the identifiable items, with the simplifying in technique, be it silks screens or brand name objects, and just the plain audacity of the genre. My favorite artist is Edward Hopper, not only because of the use of acrylic, but because of the light and dark play in most of his work, with the illusion of detail also in play.”
Brian is a contributing artist and writer with the Prison Journalism Project. View his art and journalism here.
UNTITLED — Portrait with Hands Clasped
What’s a beautiful face? For me, it’s in the tension between opposites — clarity and compassion, calm and courage. Hindson conveys this complexity with great skill, the planes, and shadows, the mosaic of browns on the skull and cheeks, the gesture of the hands, the lavender folds in a white shirt, and the textures of skin and beard. Notice the artist does this without lines, using only watercolors to define shapes. One misbehaving drip and you’re lost! The sitter glances to the right with a hint of a smile. The tension of beauty is especially in his deep-set, clear eyes, which hold memories and, at the same time, connect with the present moment.
THE PIER
Well, we spoke of tension. What moves me here is the tension between the rotting pier and the explosive — practically thermonuclear sky — its blues, greens, and yellows — foreshadowing the world’s decay and a coming apocalypse. The clouds rush towards low-down us as dawn bursts upon the scene. They’re organic in shape, like a snakeskin or exoskeleton. And for all its majestic brilliance, that sky, those clouds, are threatening and consuming us in intensity. Meanwhile, the cleats on the dock look like crosses, with the third cross being the ship’s mast in the center, perhaps. I wasn’t sure.
NOT MY BRUSH
Again, Hindson creates a sense of dimension using colors instead of lines – which is a masterful thing to have done. What moved me was the defiance for the sake of art and creativity — hiding the gold-tipped brush as their instrument while the CO’s weapon of destruction juxtaposes itself. Where is he headed and where is he being escorted to leaves us questioning the artist’s fate and our own.
COVID INFIRMARY
At first glance, we were bemused by what looked like pink flowers on the floor and ceiling — a child’s room for sick grown-ups! Ha, take a closer look. These are viruses, not flowers. The irony is what moved me and has planted itself in my mind. After all, these men are very sick without anyone in attendance. They stare into space, afraid and alone. One wonders why put a patient sapped of his strength by COVID on a top bunk. How is he supposed to get down, or is he even expected to? The man in the bunk is wearing a full, white mask covering his entire face, a death mask reminiscent of the Venetian masks, which, beginning in the 13th century, were worn for fun — and to protect against deadly viruses. The fun has been stripped away eight centuries later, leaving us to our own devices.
Love your work! Look forward to hearing from you 😊