“AGAINST THE WALL: THE NEW WORKS”

At Michael Murphy Gallery November 17th- 25th 2023

Live Artist Appearances Friday November 17th and Saturday November 18th 6 p.m.-9 p.m.

Michael Murphy Gallery, Tampa’s premier fine art gallery and located in Tampa’s vibrant downtown, presents Stickman: “Against the Wall”: The New Works, in its Limited Engagement November 17th- 25th 2023, with special live, in-gallery appearances on November 17th, from 6-8 p.m. and November 18th, from 6-9 p.m. Globally Renowned Rock and Roll Artist STICKMAN’s work oozes swagger, and his energetic depiction of Iconic and thematic Rock ‘N Roll art is suffused with romanticism, opulence, and grit. STICKMAN’s extraordinary works stand out for their singularity and the Artist has spent his entire career in the pursuit of creating the visual equivalent of Ted Nugent’s riff in Stranglehold, a lyrical metaphor for the valiant quest to capture the ethereal power in the rebellion, riot, and romance of Rock & Roll.

Trevor “Stickman” Stickel weaves the mythologies of the seedy underbelly of rock & roll into his unique visual style. Trevor has donated the iconic portrait “Watch him as he goes” of Taylor Hawkins below to the Modern Drummer Foundation.

STICKMAN will be making an in-person live appearance at the gallery on Friday, November 17th from 6-8 p.m. and Saturday, November 18th from 6-9 p.m. All artwork is on exhibition & available for acquisition and appearances are complimentary & open to the public. For more information and to preview the works, call 813.902.1414 or RSVP here.

More About  Trevor “Stickman” Stickel :

Artist Trevor Stickel (b. 1974). AKA Stickman. Painter. Trevor ‘Stickman’ Stickel specializes in musically based artwork that captures legendary moments, powerful ideas, and raw emotion. His work is described as gritty-yet-fresh, complex-yet-simple.  Graduating from a Jekyll and Hyde influence early in his career, in which he divided his time between family portraits and design work on helmets and Harleys, Trevor had the epiphany to combine both styles while reading According to the Rolling Stones. Two weeks later he finished his first canvas portrait of Mick Jagger, which thrust him into a different realm of the art world. He aptly titled it “Please allow me to introduce myself.”

The idea or “mission” behind Stickman’s artwork is to create an artistic tribute to the music and musicians that have had tremendous impact on him and many others. Historically, these tributes would have been limited to photos/posters that adorned the bedroom walls of teenagers and dorm rooms throughout adolescence. Stickman aims to create a style of art that brings these iconic figures back into our lives, and in a manner that adults can display proudly in their homes.

Serious swag. The Artist’s works live in the nexus of technical prowess, poetic filth, and the romantic grit of the rock & roll world. As an extraordinarily accomplished painter, Stickman eschews the contemporary impulse of peers to simply transpose photographs or pantomime caricatures. Instead, under the heady influence of the legends and lore of the rock & roll greats, he paints freehand his transcendental juxtapositions of decadence and darkness completely freehand to create masterful works celebrating the mythology of his world of rock & roll. And a vision of this world that is truly unparalleled in its vision.

Trevor Stickel spent his youth weaving the mythologies of the seedy underbelly of rock & roll into his unique visual style. As Motley Crue’s two second transition from “In the Beginning” transforms into the lick for “Shout at the Devil,” the groundwork was laid for rock & roll to take over his life. It wasn’t long before he first laid eyes on the Kiss Destroyer album art – it was then that Stickman knew his calling had come, and when the universe speaks, he listens. Just like John Varvatos did for fashion, Stickman synthesized low brow grunge with the poetry of rock & roll to make high end urbanity, beginning with works that prioritized expression, negative space, and liminality, such as . Of this he explains, “Miles Davis said ‘It’s not the notes you play; it’s the notes you don’t’, visual artists have a similar relationship with the power of negative space.”

His evolution as a painter can be seen in “Black Sunshine,” where organic form, technical precision, and the dark romanticism so characteristic of his most famous works begin to coalesce into the immediately recognizable Stickman style collected and exhibited all over the world.

The work “No. 9” blows away any artwork in the genre. This is a parallel to the geographical nuance of his works musicality. Stickman maintains that “London and New York City give me the Punk vibes, in New Orleans it’s Jazz, and of course Country in Nashville, but if you ask me, rock & roll resides in Los Angeles.” The amalgamation of the rock n roll mythologies of these global cities works to create an unbroken ensemble of lore and poetry that represents the sum of Stickman’s success as a painter, but more importantly as an interpreter of the vibrant lives of rock & roll legends past and present.

“I’ve spent my entire career in the pursuit of creating the visual equivalent of Ted Nugent’s riff in Stranglehold,” a lyrical metaphor for the valiant quest to capture the ethereal power in the rebellion, riot, and romance of rock & roll.

For another exhibition check this out.  

Content provided by Relevant Communications for editorial purposes only–all rights reserved. All Artwork Images: Trevor “Stickman” Stickel All Rights Reserved 2023.  All Bio Photos of Artist: Curtis Comeau All Rights Reserved 2023

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