Picasso Baby

The love and appreciation for art has grown substantially and while many may think Jay-Z introduced the urban world to the art world, there are people who have been doing this for years.  People who although may look street; actually have an unbelievable creative, artistic side that attracts the admiration of onlookers.  Amongst those people is a talented artist from Brooklyn, Mykhal.

Growing up in Brooklyn there’s a vast amount of directions you can go beginning with childhood, but Mykhal choose to go with art.  Beginning with sketches as a youth he eventually grew and expanded his craft to elaborate paintings using oils and acrylics.  Though he has chosen a path that differs from most he doesn’t neglect his culture altogether.  The diversity and history of Brooklyn is carefully captured and evoked through his pieces.

He held a gallery in Williamsburg to present his vision. Friends and onlookers filed in while Jay-Z’s latest album Magna Carta Holy Grail blared from the speakers.  Each piece varied from the next with no particular connection to each other except they represent “trajectory, history and culture” of Brooklyn as he likes to describe it. While some may view Brooklyn for it’s rough streets and tough exterior, there’s actually another side that’s slowly changed the face of the borough.  From the gentrification of Bed Stuy to the various ethnicities that walk the streets of Williamsburg to the bright lights and consumer heavy Downtown area, each is like a piece from a patchwork quilt and each has slowly influenced the makeup of it’s inhabitants. The event not only showcased his latest masterpieces, it also represented the new class of art appreciation.

Art has long been a key passageway for a gateway of emotions helping both the artist and the viewer.  It is my hope as a lifetime lover of art that more people will embrace it and don’t ever think it’s just for a certain type of person.  Mykhal is a key example of this as art has taken him to new heights and even connected him with the great Terry Richardson. “The project I’m working on with Terry Richardson is set to be out early next year and it will show my views in a way I’ve never expressed before,” is all he was able to share with me for now but it’s something I’ll definitely keep an eye on and something you should look out for as well.

– Shaina Auxilly (@Shay_Marie)