Exhibition - It's All Love: The Art of Garrett Dutton

Just like my music, I claim no “natural talent” with my art, if there is such a thing with art. Rather, my art has been a creative emotional outlet and a meditation that goes hand in hand with my musical process.

Other than high school art and ceramic classes, I’ve had no formal training. I was an aspiring graffiti writer in Philadelphia in the 1980’s when graf [grafitti] in Philly was peaking creatively. Much to the dismay of most Philadelphians, the walls, bus and trolley windows, train tracks and almost every surface of the city was covered in glorious scribble. Most of my influence comes from this era of tagging walls and practicing the many different styles of Philly writing. The style of Philly graffitti writing was deeply embedded into my hand after countless hours as a teenager and an adult, practicing my tag over and over, thousands of times.

My other influences in art come from the art that I love and collect. I am drawn to the contemporary primitive, untrained and immediate styles of artists like Greg Haberny, Keith Haring, Basquiat, Brian Leo, James Havard, Karl Appel, Katherine Bernhardt and Katherine Bradford.

The pursuit of practicing music, composing, recording music, performing music and travelling to perform music had occupied my life completely. I have used my writing style and the few symbols I draw to make music related art. From record covers, G.Love Setlists, Blues Paintings, Blues Chairs, stage backdrops and my "Love" paintings, I have used painting to give my music a breath of fresh air.

My paintings and drawings help me to be creatively free. Unlike my music, I put no pressure or expectation on them. In that sense they are truly a meditation and liberated from any personal or commercial aspiration.

I’ve found my days off on the road in obscure towns across the country to be perfect painting escapes. I go to the local thrift stores and find old framed paintings and furniture which I use as my canvas to create new works. I set up in the parking lots or garages of the hotels where we stay for the day and immerse myself. Escaping into a different form of creativity than music, I have found that both music and painting give energy and help to elevate the other in a symbiotic relationship.

- Garrett Dutton (aka G. Love)