Detroit Figure Club /  by Taurus Burns

I’ve been getting together once a week with a group of artists who enjoy sculpting the figure. We work from a live model and for this 5-week session the goal was to create an approx. 16” standing figure. I’ll post update shots as we go along as well as the finished sculpture at the end. I plan on making a plaster cast from the clay model in the coming months, so stay tuned!

PLUS ONE at Annex Gallery /  by Taurus Burns

Studio residents at 333 Midland each invited one artist to show along with them in this group exhibit at the Annex Gallery. My plus one is the talented Christine Lujan. I will be unveiling my “The Panther in Me” series. This is sure to be a fantastic show!

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DISTRESS:DISTRUST at Little D Gallery in OKC /  by Taurus Burns

My painting, “Frankenmulatto” was accepted into an open call at the Little D Gallery in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The exhibit features artwork that is politically inspired, with a focus on omen’s rights, racial/ gender inequality, immigration, healthcare and the inner weavings of the political system. The exhibit opened Sept. 4th, 2020 and runs through October.

My statement for this painting:

Frankenmulatto is about America's attempts to piece together racial equality within a system that was never designed for it. The figure on the gurney references Frankenstein’s monster- a tragic figure pieced together from the remains of several dead men, however in this case the monster is a make-shift mulatto, an antiquated term for the offspring of one black and one white parent. The great bird descending on the figure has the body of an American eagle and the head of a vulture, at once evoking the patriotic urgency to defend American democratic values while at the same time feeding on the casualties of that system.

Brushes with Cancer at General Motors Design Center Gallery, Sept 25-Oct 30, 2020 /  by Taurus Burns

Brushes with Cancer is a program that provides psychosocial support for people whose lives have been touched by cancer. I was paired with Jeffrey F., who lost his wife to stomach cancer in November 2018. I created a painting about Jeff'‘s experience based on conversations that he and I had over the course of several months. The painting, “An Enduring Faith”, will appear in an exhibition that opens September 25, 2020 at the General Motors Design Center Gallery, with a live virtual event from 7pm-8:30 pm. Proceeds from the artwork benefit Brushes with Cancer. Bid on the artwork or purchase tickets for the event here.

An article about this event was featured in HOUR Detroit magazine

Dell Pryor: A Common Thread at Detroit Artists Market, June-July 2020 /  by Taurus Burns

I was invited by Dell Pryor to be a part of a fantastic group exhibition at the Detroit Artists Market. The Dell Pryor Gallery was one of the first galleries I showed in when I started exhibiting my work 20 years ago. Dell selected these two recent works on paper for the show: “Crazy Mixed-Up World” and “News Flash”. These works deal with interracial identity and what it’s like to be caught between the crossroads/crosshairs of race relations in America.

Dell was interviewed by Stephen Henderson for American Black Journal below

Painting in Isolation /  by Taurus Burns

I’ve been drawing since I was a kid but didn’t really start painting until 1997. My professor at the time recommended painting outdoors, saying it was the best way to learn about color and light. I spent that summer painting landscapes around town and setting up still lifes to paint outside my home. This experience was instrumental in helping me to not only get a grip on color mixing, but also in developing a process for quickly composing an image. It was an exciting experience that has stuck with me to this day. I would often imagine painting landscapes alongside Van Gogh or Cezanne, thinking about how they would interpret the scenes I was attempting to paint.

We’ve been in quarantine now for over two months. Since I haven’t been going to my studio because of the stay at home orders, I decided to work on something at home to help keep the blues away. At the beginning of May I started this painting in my backyard. I heard someone say recently that painting the outdoors soothes the soul and I wholeheartedly agree.