Java.April.2016

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ARTS DAMIAN GOMES Vacancy at Treeo By Jenna Duncan When embarking on the pursuit of a life’s passion, such as fine art, young people often turn to the masters and perform small feats of imitation, which may take many forms. It may be in technique or subject matter. It may also be in style, process or attitude. For Damian Gomes (pronounced like gnomes, and not like Gomez, as one might assume), approaching the canvas and borrowing from the masters might be part of the process, but it seems much of his attraction to painting comes from mastering oil as a medium, and not simply pumping out product. “I tried acrylic, but just couldn’t get the results I was looking for,” Gomes says about his new works in oil, now on view at Treeo Gallery on 6th Street near Roosevelt. Though he’s been embracing sketching and drawing for years, Gomes is new to painting, he says. He worked for almost a decade as a hair stylist, migrating around different Phoenix salons including Swank and R Salon. “I worked at Snapdragon for six years. I just quit doing hair a few months ago,” he says. There is something about painting that just drew him in. He moved to a bigger space and made his former home into a studio. His works range from moderate portrait-sized (around 24” by 36”) to larger works on canvas often exceeding six feet per side. He says that while part of his process is learning the best technique for moving colors around his canvas, part of the process is to develop a palette, too. Current works are rich in earth tones, mostly figurative in nature, and sometimes evocative of, yes, many of the masters in oil, abstract and classic (Francis Bacon and Fritz Scholder come to mind). One large, smudged oil image (“Bully”) resembles a fierce, aggressive, one-horned bull. A romantic soft-focus pink nude evokes the sentimental feelings of Valentine’s Day. Another figure sits at rest with a beer can. Gomes says he works with a product called oil bar, smudging thick black marks like coal across some images and smooth, creamy whites across others. The process can be messy, he says, and it takes time to tidy up before a studio visit. “Half the time I’m just painting with my fingers and these crazy brushes I buy at Home Depot,” he says. Styling hair is a very kinesthetic exercise, and certain similarities between Gomes’ previous work and his painting are notable. Hair styling keeps the stylist on his feet for hours at a time, and a transition to painting isn’t too strange in that regard. Painters, especially those who work large scale, often have to strain and stretch, or sit in one pose for hours. Both jobs can be taxing on the body over time. And Gomes says he’s always had ideas come to him when he’s working with his hands, whether his hands are immersed in water and shampoo or turpentine and oil paint. Damian Gomes: Vacancy Through April 11 Treeo 906 N. 6th St., Phoenix www.treeohouse.com Facebook (Damian Gomes) Instagram (@damian_gomes). 16 JAVA MAGAZINE
RANDY BARTON Ptnd Dzrt Project By Amy L. Young Navajo artist Randy Barton, raised in Winslow, Arizona, is a man on the move. His inherent need to travel is something that mixes with his pervasive desire to create art in various forms. Though his journey has had him living in cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas and San Francisco, he has found his way back to Winslow, where he has opened up the Pntd Dzrt Art Boutique, and most importantly can be near his teenage daughters and other family members. Painting is a sizeable portion of how Barton spends his artistic time. His abstract works, sometimes featuring a palette related to the desert and other times richer and less earthy-hued, are infused with Native American symbolism that is meaningful to him. His big brush strokes come from growing up as a graffiti artist, and that sensibility of working with spray cans is a part of his art and always will be. Before hitting the road, Barton went to graphic design school in Tempe and honed his skills for a career in commercial work. After school, he went to San Francisco for a few years, but says he later “went back to Phoenix because it’s where I came up in the arts.” He opened a few studios in the downtown area, trying different locations. The need to wander hit him after a year or so and he went to Las Vegas to open another studio, but found that the town wouldn’t be his ultimate destination. He headed back up to San Francisco and felt like, at that point in 2014, things really started falling into place. “I was going to Miami to DJ at a friend’s art show during the annual Art Basel event,” said Barton. “I let the people at ArtBattles.com know this, because they’d previously been wanting to bring me to NYC to do something. They asked if I wanted to battle. I did, and I ended up winning the live-battle competition. The word got around about that and led to more opportunities.” One of those opportunities was a commission from the owner of Albuquerque’s Eldorado Hotel to create 80 paintings for the venue. This was a result of Barton receiving a fellowship from the Southwestern Association for Indian Artists to create an artist’s guestroom at Nativo Lodge. During this same time period, he also won a first-place ribbon at the Santa Fe Indian Market. Barton is happy to be surrounded by family and to have a solid base in Winslow. He’s right across from the famed La Posada hotel and says his Pntd Dzrt Art Boutique sees a nice mix of out-of-towners and locals. The retail portion of the place features fine art and clothing based on his designs, as well as wearable art made by other artists whose work he likes. “Pntd Dzrt is a good place to see the whole picture of what I do,” Barton said. “My paintings, my work space, the store, the place I create beats, my entire aesthetic—it’s all here.” The busy artist is part of the Medicine Paint live art crew, and in addition to some out-of-town events they are planning, he’s hoping to have a crew event in late May in Winslow. Next up, though, is a solo show at a new gallery in Taos, New Mexico, in mid-April. www.pntddzrt.com www.randylbarton.com JAVA 17 MAGAZINE
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Page 4 and 5: CONTENTS 8 12 22 32 34 FEATURES Cov
Page 6 and 7: APRIL CONCERTS AT THE MIM MUSIC THE
Page 8 and 9: AMADA CRUZ The New Face of Phoenix
Page 10 and 11: programs often have a very specific
Page 12 and 13: GILGONGO RECORDS JAMES FELLA Gilgon
Page 14 and 15: PRESIDENT GATOR RECORDS JEREMIAH GR
Page 18 and 19: THE HIVE TURNS FIVE By Amy L. Young
Page 21 and 22: Thai Long-an, Dine Long Time By Slo
Page 23 and 24: Summer Games JAVA 23 MAGAZINE
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Page 29 and 30: Photographer: Chadwick Fowler Wardr
Page 31 and 32: If you asked in the spring of 2012
Page 33 and 34: THE HOURGLASS CATS Portraits of Cat
Page 35 and 36: Paul Mosier believes in the muse. H
Page 37 and 38: Once he finished writing Train I Ri
Page 39 and 40: When my picture is being taken, I k
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