Art & Life with Charles Baker Strahan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Charles Baker Strahan.

Charles, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
After having a very accomplished career in the Fashion and Entertainment industries as a hairstylist, I finished a 10-year stint as the Global Ambassador and Spokesperson for Herbal Essences/Proctor and Gamble. I was in the process of developing a product line, and something told me to stop. I was redecorating a new home a little over two years ago and thought I would create some art/paintings with some latex house paint and a few canvases that I had randomly. My friends kept saying, “these are really great; you could sell them.”

A trip to an art supply store followed, and an obsession began, along with purchases, commissions and acceptance to The Art Of Elysium, Saatchi’s The Other Art Fair LA, Art Santa Fe and a Contemporary Art exhibition at the Lourve in Paris this Fall to name a few recent highlights, my obsession has quickly become a new career path.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I draw inspiration from contemporary, pop, and street art as well as graffiti, and my initial observation was that a black line represents a form of certainty to the image. It was in the exploration of Cubism and looking at multiple perspectives on the same plan I thought about how we as humans will compartmentalize our experiences, which forms our perspective on life. The figures or “characters” in my paintings depict a situation where the character is having a visually emotional experience and the abstracted plans done mostly in shades of gray are separated by a black line forming the mask by which the character faces the world. The sensory elements of the face (eyes, ears nose, etc.) are either further abstracted or made more literal to denote the truth behind the mask and the characters relationship with the experience as well as the human desire to create certainty.

What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
As an introvert, I value my alone time, especially in the act of creation. Conversely, art fairs are an amazing way to connect with and discover other artists

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Following my Instagram https://www.instagram.com/charlesbakerstrahan/?hl=en, My personal website CharlesBakerStrahan.com or upcoming art fairs/shows are the easiest and most direct ways to find follow and discover my work. I have also been asked to show at Art Basel in Miami this coming December.

Contact Info:

• Website: Charles Baker Strahan
• Email: C.917323@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charlesbakerstrahan/?hl=en
• Other: CharlesBakerStrahan.com

Image Credit:
Personal image by photographer Leslie Allejandro

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