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My work is constructed and designed to uniquely inspire, encourage and ignite the senses through an abstract sense of the imagination. With profound manipulated texture, each piece of art has its purpose in touching ones soul. Using a wide spectrum of deep rich colors, I look to send a message to the onlooker that will not only capture their eyes but yet their emotions as well. Within each work of art, my spiritual influences, love for music and nature’s natural, true beauty, are all reflected in my compositions.
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Born in Hampton, Virginia, Calvin Coleman II spent his adolescent years in Swarthmore, a Pennsylvania suburb. After graduating from Lincoln University where he earned his B.S. degree in Early Childhood Education, Coleman taught at the elementary level for fourteen years. While teaching, Calvin was also preparing himself to become a professional artist. In 2004, Coleman made the transition that changed his life forever. Largely a self-taught artist, Coleman builds upon the canvas with an assemblage of layers of acrylic paint, a variety of textiles and other mediums to embellish his uninhibited style of painting. In recognizing a great interest in brilliant colors and texture, he has admired the techniques of Richard Mayhew who has been an influence Coleman’s artistic footprint and more recently, the style in which Chaim Soutine (French Abstract Expressionist), created his works. Mayhew’s fluidity with colors and Soutine’s dense textural characteristics can account for the structure of Coleman’s paintings. Coleman’s paintings reflect strength in a melody of blended hues, coupled with the usage of manipulated canvas strips and textiles. The inspirations behind the contemporary style that Coleman conveys to his audience, has much to do with his spirituality, love for nature’s beauty, lyrics of songs from a vast genre of music, and his journey through life. In Art Matters, January 2007, art critic Wuanda Walls stated, Calvin’s work is “endowed with an aura of originality and poetic whimsy.” Works by Calvin Coleman are included in numerous public, private collections and publications as well. Among these are the permanent collection of the Jericho City of Praise; the Jericho Christian Academy; the Rock View Elementary School; the Patuxent Elementary School; the RIMS Center for Enrichment and Development; Tri Tech Enterprises Systems Inc.; the GE Healthcare Corporate Office; The Global Design; the Arel Architects Inc.; The M.H. West and Co., Inc.; the Daniel Texidor Parker Collection, the Patric McCoy Collection, the Arthur Jones Collection, the Curtis Jones Collection, the Pamela Blackman Collection and the James Oliver M.D. Collection. Commissions include: Mr. Chenoa Osayande, “Muhammad Ali, Bob Marley and Malcolm X”, 2005; Mr. and Mrs. Blake, “Ken and Melissa” and “Melissa and Children”, 2005; and Ms. Alvah Beander, “Marvin and Blair.” 2006. Publications include; Looking Toward the Sky, by Helen F. Lee, Publisher (Johns Hopkins University) 1995, artwork appears on cover; Ma-Sect To Me, by Sylvia Solomon, Publisher (Simply Friends) 1996, artwork appears on cover; The Advocate & Greenwich Time, by Special Correspondent L.P. Streitfeld, January 2005, p.D3 and D4 Unveiled Series I, by Will Downing and Emerging Artists, Publisher (BroNel Enterprises Inc. and WD Productions) 2005, artwork appears on cover and p.56 through p.66; The Network Journal Black Professionals and Small Business Magazine, January 2005, artwork appears on cover; Gallery Guide, Mid –Atlantic, Publisher (LTB) 2006, artwork appears on p.9; and “Black Entertainment Television T.V. show, College Hill, June 2007-August 2007.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Pamela Brown ArtJaz Gallery Philadelphia, PA 19106 215-922-4800 E-mail: info@artjaz.com Philadelphia, PA – May 2, 2008 – ArtJaz Gallery is pleased to present artist, Calvin Coleman in his 2008 solo exhibition entitled, “Rebirth”. The exhibition features mixed media paintings and debuts three new painting series for the artist: “The Family”, “The Key to Knowing” and “The Power of Man. “Rebirth” opens Friday, June 6, 2008. A preview reception and artist talk will be held on Sunday, May 18t h 2- 6pm. The Artist Reception will be held on Friday, June 6th, 5- 9pm and the exhibition continues through July 19, 2008. Calvin Coleman’s previous solo exhibition “Beyond Color” at ArtJaz Gallery in 2006 was vividly infused in color and content, inviting the viewer to go beyond the obvious color and composition and gravitate toward the complexity of his mixed media paintings. The “Rebirth” exhibition reverses that order by utilizing colorful mixed media paintings on paper and canvas to bring forward the simplicity and importance of global concerns that highlight the human condition. Coleman’s new ongoing series, “The Family, “The Key to Knowing” and “The Power of Man” provide a painterly “comfort food for the soul” in the familiarity of subjects readily identifiable to modern society. For example “The Family” series yields cohesiveness in the symbolic importance of the family unit. Coleman laments the bond of family through haunting color and mixed media composition allowing the viewer to see both the strength and vulnerability of each member of the family. As in life, together as a unit, the family prevails with greater strength. Coleman states, “The importance of the family is particularly significant given our society’s pressures globally and individually. Through color and texture I’m attempting to emotionally pull the family through all of today’s challenges. Family is of core importance to each of us”. Born in Hampton, Virginia, Calvin Coleman II spent his adolescent years in Swarthmore, a Pennsylvania suburb. After graduating from Lincoln University where he earned his B.S. degree in Early Childhood Education, Coleman taught at the elementary level for fourteen years. While teaching, Calvin was also preparing himself to become a professional artist. In 2004, Coleman made the transition that changed his life forever. Primarily a self-taught artist, Coleman builds upon the canvas with an assemblage of layers of acrylic paint, a variety of textiles and other mediums to embellish his uninhibited style of painting. In recognizing a great interest in brilliant colors and texture, he has been inspired by the techniques of Richard Mayhew and Chaim Soutine (French Abstract Expressionist). Coleman’s paintings reflect strength in a melody of blended hues, coupled with the usage of manipulated canvas strips and textiles. In Art Matters, January 2007, art critic Wuanda Walls stated, Calvin’s work is “endowed with an aura of originality and poetic whimsy.” Works by Calvin Coleman are included in numerous public and private collections. “Rebirth” exhibition with Calvin Coleman will be on display June 6 – July 19, 2008. “Rebirth” opens Friday, June 6, 2008. A preview reception and artist talk will be held on Sunday, May 18th, 2- 6pm. The Artist Reception will be held on Friday, June 6th, 5- 9pm and the exhibition continues through July 19, 2008. For more information, call 215-922-4800. ArtJaz Gallery is located at 53 North Second Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19106 or visit www.artjaz.com. ###
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