The Collaborators
FABRIC LENNY
Artist and image-maker Fabric Lenny, aka Paul Slater, makes distinctive and engaging paintings, prints, drawings, illustrations, and objects with the help of magic pixies. I love to work collaboratively, and to date have collaborated with dancers, musicians, writers, photographers and other visual artists in the creation of interesting visual meanderings which are candy for the eye and musings for the soul.
My work is a direct response to things I see and experience, and also takes on influences from both popular culture and traditional painting. I utilize a variety of methods and approaches in the production of my imagery, ranging from drawing on cardboard to digital painting on mobile devices such as the iPad and IPhone, to broadcast quality animation and experimental film.
For me everything starts with drawing, it's a way for me to propagate ideas, clarify thinking and make discoveries. These 'starts' can be doodles, observed drawings, or just a series of marks which offer up hidden images, suggest unusual shapes and concepts, or unlock the door to new imagery and fresh ways of working.
JONATHAN GRAUEL
Jonathan Grauel's life has been shaped by his need to create. He transforms that need into unique visual narratives. He uses line, shape, and color to construct surreal spaces for the eye to journey.
Focusing on the places "man" travel, Jonathan portrays not just physical locations, like the coffee shops and restaurants he frequents, but also mental, emotional, and spiritual places. His work is a response to his surroundings and the relationships they contain.
For many years, Jonathan's primary mediums were acrylics, oils and oil pastels. In 2008, an accident with a table saw left him without an index finger on his dominate hand. In addition, he is unable to bend his middle finger and has limited sensitivity in his thumb. After the accident his wife and friends surprised him with an iPhone. He soon discovered a new joy in "finger painting." Jonathan recently added an iPad to his artist toolbox and it has replaced his sketchbook as a constant companion. He enjoys the freedom of the digital medium and also continues to work with traditional media.