Francisco considers very little of his work ever completed.  The vision for his paintings change as his perspective on life and his work changes.

Time Saturday, January 15 at 8:00pm – February 6 at 8:00pm

Location Old Crow Tattoo and Gallery 362 Grand Ave Oakland, CA

Old Crow Tattoo and Gallery is proud to present this illuminated exhibition from 2 innovative Bay Area native artists. Both Francisco and Poesia have created new and exciting bodies of work for this exhibition.

Franciso Franco and Poesia have a deep history together they grew up together as teenagers sharing their love for Art and Graffiti. After more than 20 years removed from those early days they come together once again to collaborate in there 2 man Show titled Foundation. The idea for the 2 man show Foundation came about after Poesia and Francisco Franco showed together in Old Crow’s very successful Stand Tall group Show last summer. Here is there artists statements about the show and bio’s.

Poesia’s Artist Statement

Foundation as in life can have multiple meanings and in this show multiple layers of the word play have there role within the work. Being able to paint side by side in the studio with Francisco has really brought me full circle to our first ideas about art, and graffiti. When you talk about foundation from a graffiti sense one usually thinks letters, and in a an art sense you might think about composition color and design. I set out with some concepts and ideas based on all of those, I wont go into much detail as I would rather have the viewer interpret there own experience. Foundation to me is the culmination of everything that i am and have been as an artist. To finally be able to paint Graffiti, or Art whatever label you want to apply, for myself on my terms and to share this experience with Francisco and the gallery will be a definite highpoint in my Art career.

Francisco Franco’s Artist Statement

Foundation is about a firm stance on what brought me to art in the first place. This body of work is based on a conversation about what art was between Poesia and me. Our interest in art began in high school more than twenty years ago. We began a passionate discourse about art leading us to discover older artists who were new to us, as well as new emerging art.

For me, Foundation is about a return to our original concepts about art. It is a return to those first naive inspirations that lead us on this art journey, as well as an exploration of the same innovative ideas, materials and techniques that created the corner stone to what we are about. Although, we took divergent paths and work in different ways, what we have done is come together to explore the very ideas that started us on the path of becoming who we are as individuals. The challenge has been moving away from my comfort zone as a painter and entering an unknown world filled with unexpected results, which are both intimidating, yet exciting.

As for me, it has been a great opportunity to reconnect, reexamine and redefine what is at the core of my work. A return to my initial love and passion for art without the social hindrances that sometimes tend to blind us to what truly lies and the heart of whom we are.

Poesia’s Bio

Poesia is a self taught San Francisco Bay Area Artist predominantly known for his early 90′s graffiti murals throughout the San Francisco bay area. A self Proclaimed Graffuturist, recognized most for his early wild style pieces and later evolution into a more abstract and conceptual based Graffiti style. A member of the Transcend Collective, and Graffuturism global collective.

Francisco Franco’s Bio

Francisco A. Franco (artist and professor), was born in California’s Central Valley, where he gained an interest in art through a budding urban phenomena called graffiti. Hungry to grow he picked up a class at a local community college and won several awards in drawing, painting, and mixed media. His success there gave him the opportunity to travel abroad extensively with Dr. Richard Serros, Professor PhD Art History.He then went on to graduate with a bachelor of fine arts degree from University of California at Berkeley in art practice and philosophy and was awarded a certificate of special recognition from the department chair.He earned an M.F.A. from the Graduate School of Figurative Art of the New York Academy of Art and graduated Cum Laude. There he was fortunate enough to be chosen among a select few to be part of an experimental one- year accelerated program where he studied intensely under some of the best and most celebrated figurative artist on the East coast. There, he was also awarded a fellowship to study anatomy and drawing at the University of Oxford Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in association with St. Edmund Hall University, under the tutelage of Dr. Sarah Simblet, professor at the Ruskin School and author of several books including Anatomy for the Artist.

Francisco decided to return back to his beloved Northern California where he continues to create and reside. Aside from reaching
others through his paintings, he has also been “spreading the word” about art and its practice through lecturing, critiquing, and
advising students both inside and outside the compounds of academia. For the past seven years he has taught life drawing and a number
of other art related classes at the college level as well as public schools and private workshops.