Trenton artist Leon Rainbow, known for his large and exuberant graffiti pieces and outdoor murals, is going indoors for the month of May with his exhibition: “Politically Incorrect — New Work by Leon Rainbow.”
The exhibition will be on display May 2 through May 30 at Trenton Social restaurant, 449 S. Broad St., Trenton.
The title relates to the artist’s understanding that his work in graffiti is often disparaged because, he notes, such artists speak the truth. Yet there is also a sense of humor that hints to Trenton’s mayoral election (in May) and the problems brought onto the city by politicians. Postcards and flyers for the exhibit show bars and stars in red, white and blue.
While the series of canvases and three-dimensional objects assembled for this show may seem a departure, they are part of a process and a broad brush imagination.
“I started doing watercolors in 2010,” he says. “I did a freestyle on Friday every week for a year. I would use watercolors and mixed media to experiment. I got a certain process with that I started to include the acrylic paints that I was doing. Then in November or December (2013) I did a wall on Clinton Avenue and Hudson Street that incorporated a lot of styles and patterns that I was working with. From there I have been mixing — abstract, graffiti and fine art.”
Calling his new process both fun and challenging, Rainbow says that he has been working steady on these smaller new works to build up a solid and varied body of work.
“I have 20 pieces (for the show): canvases, paint cans, and some added surprises,” he says.
The cans are art objects, small sculptures colored with the same style and colors that he uses on the canvas and on walls. “I like to do new things and try to do it. It’s a refreshing, a change. I’m an expert at using spray paint and moving to another medium. I like working on different ideas,” he says.
That includes commercial projects like the recent design that he created for the Miller Brewing Company on a wall on Frankford Avenue in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia.
Rainbow — who, in addition to working as a computer programmer for Inforest Communications in Princeton, has done murals for the corporate office of Inc. Magazine in New York City and Louis Vuitton stores — explains the genesis of the Miller project.
“I met a guy at a jam in Erie, Pennsylvania. He started working for an ad agency. He pulled me in. They (Miller) were doing a national campaign. The way that it worked is that they wanted me to follow their color scale — gray and red — I had to put their logo in it. Then let me do whatever I wanted. It was incredible.”
Artists work best when they are allowed to express their style and ideas.
“With commercial work, you have to juggle how much creative control as to how much the project is worth. It’s great to work in your style and be paid for it,” he says.
Yet the two-phased outdoor project, seen on YouTube at bit.ly/1lagAuo, was challenging because of timelines and weeks of cold and snow.
“First I primed the wall and put the logo up and did straight abstract designs. I took a picture and sent them the picture. Then a rep from the ad agency, and videographer came out and filmed the entire process of the second wall. A lot of it is figuring out what kind of themes I want work with and make it work with my style,” he says.
That style he’s recently developed, he says, “is kind of abstract designs mixed with a lot of the designs I use in graffiti, but I do it in a different way. I need a name for it.”
Asked how many graffiti writings he has done, he says, thinking aloud, “Since 2005 I’ve done at least 50 pieces a year, so I would say about 500. But more than that.”
The indoor studio, he says, is a miniature extension of his usual workspace.
“A lot of my work is one the street, so Trenton is my studio. I can do small work here. I wasn’t using “the room) and just started to over the last year. My wife helped me set it up,” he says.
The wife is Marie — a teacher and an administrative assistant at a Trenton preschool. The two have been together for 10 years.
“I invited her out to go to Dunkin’ Donuts, and things just started to click,” he says.
While Rainbow plans to continue with the aerosol on outdoor walls, he is also looking for new ideas. “When you start working in a different manner or mixing mediums, you look at things a different way. When I start something new I have to learn about it. Things don’t work out. I make mistake. I like learning about it.”
“Politically Incorrect — New Work by Leon Rainbow,” Trenton Social, 449 S. Broad Street, Trenton, opens Friday, May 2 – with a 6 to 10 p.m. opening reception – and continues to Friday, May 30. Call (609) 989-7777 or visit trentonsocial.com and leonrainbow.com.
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