I once read somewhere that, “men build institutions…so that four hundred years later their descendants can say “that is what he left.”
Inspirational art is what I have to leave. I must confess, honestly that I draw for my own selfish reasons. I find inner peace from sharing my gift with others.
Born and raised in Oakland, CA & being that I am a self-taught artist, I have not had the experience of being exposed to Art History, nor have I had the pleasure of being exposed to many other artists. So I do not have the boundaries imposed by formal training.
I would have to say my greatest influence is the camera. I have a great fascination with photography. I try to capture the spirit of my subject in my drawings as if I were doing an actual photo shoot.
If I were forced to give myself a label, I would have to say that I am primarily a portrait artist. I believe I have a strong affinity with people of icon status. This enables me to bring their portraits to life.
I have been featured at Expressions Art Gallery, Shades of Sienna, The Black Box and The Jahva House all in Oakland, California, also at The Sony Metreon Theater in San Francisco, California. My work has been featured at Captured Images Art Gallery in Oakland, California. My work has also been shown on Evening Magazine , B.E.T.’s Rap City, KRON 4 News, Countless music videos and also featured in numerous publications such as The Oakland Tribune, Black Beat Magazine, Showcase Magazine, HoodStars Magazine, Vblazin Online Magazine, The Laney Tower, and the Bay View Newspaper. I can be currently found at my place of business The Ave, located at 3116 Fruitvale Avenue, Oakland, Ca. or you can visit me on the web at www.airballin.com
My philosophy is…there are always positive opportunities to explore in society and art is a valuable contribution to the spirit of life…
“That is what he left…” -De Andre Drake-
I love you, your work and everything you have on here...your work is better than any, almost any, professor's work and I am glad and thankful to get to know you...your portraits of the men are so realistic and they capture their personalities, their souls and their culture...thanks for adding me, vanessa.
People are illogical, and unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives Do good anyway. If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight Build anyway. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway. Give the world your best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.
Many thanks for the invite and interest in my artwork Immortal Images! Great to hear from you. Great art yourself. Many thanks again to you and do stay in touch -Jay
