Visual artist Omari Booker will premiere new works during the April edition of the Jefferson Street Art Crawl. Booker has developed a new series of works for the new exhibition entitled “It’s All Life” for his one-man show to be held in Woodcuts Gallery at 1613 Jefferson Street from 6:00 until 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, 2019.
“I paint to visually express the concepts in my mind,” says Omari. “The freeing of my spirit is the gift that makes me continue to produce work. The level of intense presence that I slip into while painting provides a cathartic experience. Painting all-ows me to both deal with the world and escape it simultaneously.”
Omari reminds us that, “It’s All Life” In one way or another it’s all good because it is what we are experiencing right now. Positive, negative, or neutral, Omari captures it all with color, shapes, and images.
“I focus on oil painting, but consistently work in other media,” he says. “The color palate is free, and the brush strokes are thick and chunky. Found objects are often incorporated into my work.”
Omari wants people to think, and be moved to act to create a better world. He hopes the viewer finds a way to be present with the work and find joy, peace, and truth.
“The creative process drives my spiritual growth,” he adds. “Painting is my personal therapy, and as important as the result may be, it is secondary to the joy I find in creating.”
Omari Booker, a native Nashvillian, graduated from Montgomery Bell Academy and Tennessee State University. Booker is currently on staff as an art instructor at University School Nashville. Omari has exhibited widely, including at Notch 8 Gallery in Atlanta GA, he was featured at Art on the Water in Ft. Lauderdale FL, and he has had solo exhibits at Abrasive Media as well as at Vanderbilt University in their Divinity School and in their Bishop Johnson Black Cultural Center. He has two works in the Metro Nashville General Hospital Collection as well as work in the Marian Wright Edelman, CEO and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund collection.
The show is hosted at Woodcuts Gallery. Twenty-nine years ago, they opened their doors with hopes of becoming not only a viable business, but a place where they could offer top notch fine art and quality framing services.
That hope has become a reality. Over the years the gallery has received recognition locally from JUMP, NAACP, and the Greater Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce, and nationally from Decor and Upscale Magazines. Whether you’re looking for artwork, custom framing services, or gift ideas, Woodcuts is there to suit your artistic needs. Please pay them a visit, and find out why Woodcuts is “A Cut Above the Rest!”
