John Casey and Jessica Hess painting side-by-side.
Last weekend, an eclectic group of 19 Bay Area artists convened at Oakland’s Loakal Art Gallery for an epic, 24-hour live painting show that commenced at 8 a.m. on Saturday and wrapped up the following Sunday morning. Each artist was given a 4’ by 8’ panel and, in the spirit of the show’s title, “Carpe Diem,” asked to “seize the day” by spending the next 24 hours engaging with the community through live art-making.
The subject matter and artistic styles vary widely between the pieces, as each artist chose to take the theme in their own direction. The line-up is packed with local street art heavy-hitters, including Eddie Colla, Jet Martinez, Nite Owl, and Zoltron. At the same time, there are a number of artists, including Brett Armory, Jessica Hess, Max Kauffman, and John Wentz, who are more known for their painterly, expressionistic works on canvas and paper. The show’s opening reception will take place this Friday, April 4, from 6 to 10 p.m., and will be another great opportunity to meet the artists, as many will be in attendance.
Carpe Diem from Samuel W. Grant on Vimeo.
Laundry Day by John Casey.
Jessica Hess adding text to her piece.
Cock Fight by Jessica Hess.
Brett Amory working on his piece.
Waiter # ? by Brett Amory.
14 Hours by John Wentz.
Max Kauffman (foreground) painting beside Daryll Peirce (background).
The House that Owl Built by Max Kauffman.
Marcos LaFarga speaks to a gallery visitor as he paints.
Blessing Curse by Marcos LaFarga.
Lauren YS adding detail to her work.
Because Space by Lauren YS.
Hueman and Lauren YS painting outside.
Roots by Hueman.
Jet Martinez refining his piece outside the gallery.
Ya Te Vi by Jet Martinez.
The crowd watches as some of the work nears completion.
Eddie Colla adds detail to his work outside.
BLNT by Eddie Colla.
Daryll Peirce gets some help from his daughter.
Synapsthesia by Daryll Peirce.
Sue Nami by Zoltron.
Ian Ross spray painting outside.
Texture of Light by Ian Ross.
