Beyond the Ordinary

The world is full of extraordinary. Join me in exploring all that sparks creativity and change.

Death of a Riverguide by Richard Flanagan

I rarely dabble in fiction, but this book is beautiful and well-written. I really loved it. Through the death of the main character, Aljaz, the reader is taken through a journey of his ancestors, his life, and most of all—his resiliency and ability to push through despair and start over. Other important themes touch on immigration, culture, and imperialism.

December’s Artist of the Month: Jerrell Gibbs

A provocative artist whose work I admire is Jerrell Gibbs. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he was self-taught. Despite never completing a bachelor’s degree, he earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2020. When he was still a student, four of his paintings were chosen to be part of the 2019 exhibition “Blackface: A Reclamation of Beauty, Power, and Narrative” at Galerie Myrtis. This was a significant turning point in his career. His first solo exhibition was Sounds of Color: Recorded Memories at the Mariane Ibrahim Gallery in 2021.

Christin Apodaca

Christin Apodaca is an illustrator and muralist living and working in El Paso, Texas. She draws inspiration from nature and the different ways it relates to our surroundings, and she primarily works using line drawings to depict native plants, animals, insects, and humans. By blending these different subjects together into surreal, dreamlike compositions, Apodaca’s murals are both memorable and captivating. Christin Apodaca has created more than fifteen murals throughout the El Paso community, and she believes strongly in creating values and textures that can sometimes take precedence over the use of color. It’s a unique technique that allows for color to be imagined by the viewer themselves, and creates a symbiotic relationship between the person and the art.

Mauricio Ramirez

Mauricio Ramirez is the muralist behind the stunning artwork that adorns the exterior wall of the A.M. 1980 Residences in the urban Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago. Located less than 500 feet from the Western CTA mass transit station, the artwork not only is widely-seen by thousands of commuters each day, but also reflects the distinct character and history of the surrounding community. Ramirez’s goal with the design was to foster a dialogue with people in the community by connecting them with a local cultural icon of the Logan Square Eagle. By taking this symbol of the neighborhood and including it in the mural, Ramirez reflected its vibrancy and meaning while showing it in a new and modern light.

Josef Kristofoletti

Josef Kristofoletti is an internationally working mural artist whose towering murals are distinct in their use of vibrant colors, geometric shapes and patterns, and their large scope that covers the entire sides and exteriors of buildings. He considers his work as existing at the intersection of painting, architecture, and public space, and their captivating appeal draws the viewer in. Kristofoletti is an artist who always takes into account the specific site his work will be displayed, making it large scale and wholly unique to its location and placement in the world around it. His murals also involve a human element, encouraging an interaction between everyday people and their environment.

Inspiration

I have always had an insatiable curiosity

What causes me to get out of bed every morning is driven by inspiration. Ever since I was a little boy, I was inspired by my insatiable curiosity, which caused me to be a reader, a thinker, and a dreamer.

I can remember being inspired by seeing Bobby Kennedy on TV and watching videotapes of Martin Luther King Jr., and being deeply saddened by their assassination even though I was only 10 years old when I experienced all of this.

As a little boy, rocket flight was a big thing. I remember being fascinated by the moon and the stars and the astronauts exploring them.As humans we are achieving remarkable things that only a handful of years before were just in the imagination.