Tony Henson & Shawn Quilliams
On view April 1st - May 31st, 2022.
Tony Henson's work in large acrylic on canvas is expressive, kinetic, and synesthetic. Using traditional oil paints, Shawn Quilliams' art creates narratives drawing from deep personal history in Appalachia.
OPENING & ARTIST TALK on April 1st, 2022 from 6-8pm (WATCH REPLAY)
SOLO TALK w/Shawn Quilliams on Instagram LIVE on May 10th at noon EST (WATCH REPLAY)
SOLO TALK w/Tony Henson on Instagram LIVE on May 11th at 7pm EST (WATCH REPLAY)
For every art opening, EAT/ART Space serves patrons and friends of the arts delicious food from a different local restaurant—
Local food feature:
Red Meze
Johnson City, TN
photos courtesy of Red Meze
Red Meze is a family-owned café specializing in traditional Mediterranean appetizers, gyro and pita sandwiches, soup and salads and Red Meze burgers - all served with your choice of fresh, homemade side orders. Dine-in and carry-out available, located in downtown Johnson City, TN.
Above: Tavuk Ala Sultan / Right: Eggplant Yogurt Kebap
Photos courtesy of Red Meze. For menu and more information, visit www.redmezedowntown.com.
Tony Henson & Shawn Quilliams
abstract acrylic & figurative oil paintings
exhibition view & details
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
SHAWN QUILLIAMS is a figurative painter hailing from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Through storytelling, I explore the liminal experiences of existing in uncomfortable and danger-ous spaces as a queer person, and I juxtapose abstracted environments against figures within the work. I explore this tension in my work by use of hyper saturated color, mark making, and pitting characters against other antagonizing figures in nature. My paintings are fantastical; I am inspired by stories of epic fantasy, fairy tales, and artists such as Hernan Bas and Neo Rauch. These artists create magical and figurative paintings while telling a story, something I partake in when creating my art. When composing a body of work, I consider each painting within the se-ries a chapter to the overall story, each piece tied to a different emotion or event that happened in real life. I use moments that I have personally experienced, as well as stories I have heard from others that I am close with, to drive the creation of my compositions. I use traditional sto-rytelling elements in my paintings to strengthen the narrative of the work, and this includes the creation of a protagonist and antagonist, the format of the hero’s journey, and creating the work in a linear fashion. With this in mind, I do not let the linearity of the story influence my process in creating the work; I still allow it to evolve naturally as the paintings develop. The heroes and villains within my work can change from painting to painting, but what they represent within the work stays the same through the narrative.
—Shawn Quilliams
TONY HENSON is a professional artist living in Kingsport, TN. He has been painting for 30 years and has created over 2,000 artworks. Within the last 15 years, he has shown his abstract paintings in New York City, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Nashville. The Washington Post and Professional Artist Magazine have featured his art.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My paintings save me. My paintings are God’s light shining through me. They are tangible things that are created and come through the cracks of my brokenness, sadness, pain, and hurt.
When I’m painting it is an extremely personal, emotional, and sacred experience for me with absolutely no regard for the viewer. It is a selfish act and one I have to do.
When the magic happens every so often where each brushstroke feels right and each decision is perfect, it as if God is next to me moving my arm. Sometimes I begin to weep because it is so pure and beautiful.
Some paintings are a struggle I wrestle with and these are beautiful as well. Landscapes, color, music, and expression have an important place and role in my artwork but they really are about how I feel rather than how I see.
I have to paint and I need to paint. If a viewer is touched or moved by one of my paintings then that proves the raw, visceral powerful impact and empathy art can have on a viewer.
God gave me a gift, a coping mechanism to deal with anything life can throw at me and I’ve experienced my share of suffering.
My paintings save me.
—Tony Henson
ARTWORKS
all artwork and images © their respective artists - used with permission
