#casey gray

Casey Gray's "Wild Animal."

Opening on Saturday, February 5th, 2022 at Hashimoto Contemporary in San Francisco, California is artist Casey Gray's solo exhibition, "Wild Animal."

Utilizing his signature process of complex masking techniques and acrylic spray paint, the artist’s latest body of paintings, sculptures and works on paper are a meditation on the vibrancy of life as seen through the animal kingdom.

Drawing from his experience as a new father, and the chaotic stasis of the last two years to reconsider both subject and audience, Gray narrows his vision into a singular, charming topic; a colorful world of dynamic animals in action. Eight highly stylized portraits of solitary animals make up the majority of the show; Eagle, Bear, Horse, Tiger, Pelican, Crocodile, Trout and Duck. The figures are flat, graphic and modernist, painted with a variety of competing treatments and textures, and set amidst dreamy, gradient backgrounds.

Gray describes his inspiration for the work: “Raising a toddler has my life overrun with animal themes, from children’s books to toys, clothing, television, trips to the zoo. You name it, they’re everywhere. It was a natural evolution for me to move in this direction because animals seem to be everything I’m looking at, and simply put, I can’t separate my life from my work.”

Photos of Casey in his studio by Shaun Roberts.

Laughing Out Loud (LOL), Casey Gray, 2016

Casey Gray | Thirteen Vases / Seven Oranges