NoseGo at the new Paradigm Gallery

Paradigm Gallery moved to 803 South Fourth Street after a having a go at 20th & South. The new gallery looks just like the old one but now will attract the audience curator Sara McCorriston is seeking.  NoseGo is the featured artist in the new space with a fantastic collection of paintings in a style combining surrealism, animal portraits, skate-punk and street art with classic brushwork and paint application.  Fourth Friday on Fourth Street, South of South Street, is a monthly art event and the grand opening of the new space was packed with art enthusiasts, NoseGo & I stepped out onto Fabric Row to talk about the show.

DoN: I really like your work, it’s kind of surrealism mixed with collage and street art.

NoseGo: I guess it’s urban contemporary art, you know? It’s street art inspired but I try to throw a little bit of traditional work into the mix.

DoN:  You’ve got a lot of skill.

NoseGo: Thank you, it’s like it’s not but at the same time it can be.  Also, just because a lot of the paintings are kind of subconscious, so often I’ll start with an animal that I want to paint and depending on what I’m listening to and the mood I’m in it kind of like inspires what builds around it.  And then often if I want a certain type of shape? I’ll start to think of objects or elements that have either a certain type of curvature or something more angled or longer, elongated to form this composition that I want.  And then often I try to picture the work just like black and white as if it was a silhouette, that’s how I create the imagery.

DoN:  So it’s all thought out ahead of time then?

NoseGo:  It is, but never planned, the only time it’s planned is when I do work for clients and they want to see what it’s going to look like. But for me personally, I like to be surprised by the end result.  I feel if I already know what it’s going to look like it’s kind of boring, and even if I have an idea in my head, but it’s always changing. I’ll sit down and think I want to paint a tiger and have a van on top of his head and what shapes and elements can I put around it to make it more interesting as a composition.

DoN: Is there any symbolism to the animals?

NoseGo: Sometimes, not often. A lot of time when you see a tiger or it can be from maybe like something that someone read the wrong way, a lot of times when you see a wild animal with one of my more cartoon characters, it’s kind of the way I picture myself.  Like a silly guy, I’m outside but inside, I’m more a powerful creature but it’s playful, I’m not trying to push meaning. But when you see those type of paintings that’s often what I’m getting at.

DoN: You mentioned street art, did you make a transition from street art to gallery art?

NoseGo: Yes, I think so. It was a weird transition. So, I grew up in Philadelphia and I took fine art classes, my Mom was an illustrator, I took classes at Fleisher and then I went to CAPA and I had a painting teacher named Jaqueline Kunin and she would only let us use primary colors and white, we had to make all our colors from scratch. I learned great color theory from her. And then I took oil painting classes at PAFA while I was in High School, with Al Gury, I believe he’s still there, if I’m not mistaken.

DoN: Um, he’s the top guy at PAFA.

NoseGo: Oh!

NoseGo: He was a great teacher and I was still in High School when I had him. He taught me a lot. And it wasn’t until college that I studied film but I was still doing art and I guess around that time I started to explore more of the style I wanted to have with my work. Because I didn’t want to just paint, like, I have a great appreciation for fine art, but I didn’t want to just do landscapes and live drawings. I wanted to find a way of making it more playful.

Written and photographed by DoN Brewer, Contributing Writer, SideArts.com Philadelphia Art Blog

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