Boxing With Art

"Round Zero" artists' reception at The Art Directors Club in Manhattan.

Artistic painting and boxing are two activities most wouldn't pair together. But when you think about it, an artist and boxer do share many things in common. 

For starters, to be successful as a painter or boxer, one must have an innate talent. Sure, you can be taught how the direction of paint brush strokes influence the result of artwork. And, you can be taught how to throw a jab or an uppercut.

Though, there’s a difference between a painter who uses technique to enhance their vision, and a painter who uses technique, trying to create a vision. A boxer who follows rehearsed moves over and over again is no match for a boxer whose instinct and agility surpass anything they’ve learned.

Throughout history great artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pablo Picasso and Romare Bearden, to name a few, used their art as a form of social commentary. And, great boxers like Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali had a huge cultural impact on society. The boxer and artist each fight for their talent literally and figuratively. It’s a struggle that draws spectators.


Event poster featuring "Fist" by Taha Clayton

When I attended the artists’ reception for the fine art exhibition “Round Zero” on May 15 at the Art Directors Club in New York City, I saw the merging of the artist and boxer. The latest work of four Brooklyn-based figurative painters Joseph Adolphe, Taha Clayton, Tim Okamura and Jerome Lagarrigue were exhibited as a collection curated by Dexter Wimberly.  The artists used prize fighting as inspiration for their work.


I marveled at the vision each piece of art expressed. From Adolphe’s portrait of Muhammad Ali as a young fighter to Clayton’s painting of a fighter’s wrapped-fist in the air to Okamura’s interpretations of the female boxer to Lagarrigue’s three-part portrait of an actual boxer in training -- the expression of talent in the collection is abundant.

The well-attended reception was definitely a hit. It seemed as if there was a collective enthusiasm for the art and the artists. Living in South Florida, I’ve had the opportunity to attend annual art shows such as SCOPE Miami and PULSE Miami, where I was first introduced to Okamura’s work. The same excitement that exists at these shows, which occur simultaneously with Art Basel in Miami Beach, is the same excitement that filled the Art Directors Club for “Round Zero.”

In addition, artwork created by students from Brotherhood / Sister Sol, a Harlem-based youth organization, was on display at the event. A portion of proceeds will go to the organization.

There was also another layer to the artistic experience. Filmmaker and former amateur boxer Jeff Martini filmed the reception for the upcoming feature, “Heavyweightpaint.” The documentary showcases the four artists and their struggle to navigate the challenges of the art world and their attempt to create the “Round Zero” exhibition. The reception is the culmination of the film project.

Through a Kickstarter campaign, Martini and the artists raised money for the documentary. Further support for the film is welcome, click here.

If “Round Zero” is any indication of what we can expect in “Heavyweightpaint,” it will surely be a knockout.

Check out photos of some of the paintings as well as the film trailer below.

Tim Okamura: "Raw Potential (Slugger)" (detail), oil, mixed media on canvas, 36 x 48, 2012.

Joseph Adolphe: "Ali Forever" 2012 Oil on canvas 80 x 80 in



Jerome Lagarrigue: "Near Martin," 2012-2013, oil on linen 79 x 99 in.

Check out the trailer for "Heavyweightpaint":

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Street Painting: A Lake Worth Tradition

Sunday afternoon I headed to downtown Lake Worth for the second day of the annual Street Painting Festival. In its nineteenth year, the festival included more than 650 artists, both local and from across the country, in teams of two to four who drew 254 chalk drawings on Lake and Lucerne avenues. The festival began in 1995 and is conducted by the nonprofit, Street Painting Festival Inc.

It was my first time attending, and I really enjoyed it. Along with the beautiful creations of art were musical performances, food vendors and an opportunity to experience the quaint shops and restaurants the area has to offer.

Click here to see more of my pictures from the festival.

"The Gatherer" by Janet Tombros

Pondering Posting Practices on Social Media

Your face could be in a photo gracing the page of someone's Facebook timeline right now and you don't even know it.  Depending upon the number of "Likes" or comments on the photo, your face could be a part of a popular item.  You could have social media celebrity status.

Think about it.  You attended an event where taking photos or video was allowed.  The person standing next to you, let's say on your right-hand side, is using their smartphone to take video of the happenings.  You're dancing or singing or clapping, or maybe even yawning if the event is boring.  The person turns to their left, still recording with their phone, and whatever you're doing at that very moment is being documented.  If he or she is a social media buff with an account and lots and lots of followers on YouTube, you will be in a video that becomes popular.

Verizon DJ booth at SunFest
(Yes, I asked if I could take his photo and use.)

Last month I attended SunFest in West Palm Beach, Fla., an annual celebration featuring national recording artists, a juried art show and lots of food.  Verizon had a DJ booth where contestants danced, and the audience favorite won a new smartphone.  My friend, Kyoto, had the guts to compete.  I knew I had to document this for her using my iPhone.  She along with five other contestants danced to a mix of songs and they were eliminated by round. 

Kyoto survived two rounds, and was eliminated. The final two contestants were a male, who looked to be in his late 20s and a young lady about 14 or 15-years-old.  The last song they battled to was "You Can't Touch This" by M.C. Hammer. Yes, old school music is essential in any dance-off. At this point, I was done recording, but turned the video option on my phone back on because the dude's dancing was hilarious. He truly thought he was dancing, while it just looked like he was trying to catch a beat.  He was the audience favorite and won a Verizon smartphone, I think due to sheer effort.

I was tempted to upload the short, 19-second video of the guy “dancing” on social media. But, I'm not his friend.  I don't know him at all.  So I'd be strictly laughing at him, not with him.  And, sharing the video clip would make others laugh at him, too. 

I decided not to share, even though he was in public and knew being recorded was a possibility, and someone else in the audience was most likely recording him at the same time. I think my choice not to post was a combination of what I learned in my ethics class in grad school, and my grandmother’s advice in the back my mind, “Baby, what goes around, comes around.” Maybe one day if someone I don’t know takes a goofy photo of me, they’ll decide not to post it.  Or, at least I’ll hopefully never know the photo exists.

Nowadays, it seems John and Jane Doe watching more than "Big Brother."  Does that mean we should walk around in fear of being someone's latest social media post?  No.  Does that mean you should be aware if you do anything remotely weird, crazy or are simply within range of someone’s smartphone or tablet PC, a photo or video with you in it can be shared with all inhabitants of earth who are plugged-in?  Yes.