Ahmad Austin – Enjoy Life
July 31 - September 28
Second Floor Connector Gallery
This exhibition round includes works provided by Ahmad Austin which will be on view in the Second Floor Connector Gallery from July 31 – September 28, 2024. Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public. The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you! The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, September 28 from 5-7 pm.
About the exhibit:
Internationally recognized artist Ahmad Austin believes that good art is like good music: it makes you feel something. Marked by bold colors, movement, and loose strokes, his paintings are sure to do just that.
Built upon years of formal training, Austin’s personal style emerged when he picked up a palette knife and discovered a new artistic freedom that captured more emotion and energy than he ever experienced while painting with a brush. You’ll often find Austin painting to the sound of jazz legends like John Coltrane, creating pieces that capture the essence of jazz. “When I’m painting, it’s as if time doesn’t exist,” he said. Unwinding as he creates, Austin’s personality and his style are both relaxed. Yet, he uses quick strokes and scratching techniques that convey a certain energy that comes off the canvas. “I’m very easy going—maybe a little too much,” Austin said. “I think some of the emotions I hold back come out in my paintings.”
Austin’s work has been showcased worldwide from Italy to Ireland, and he is well respected in his home community of Birmingham, Alabama where his pieces hang in galleries all over town. When he isn’t creating exquisite, award-winning pieces of his own, Austin stays busy teaching others to do the same. By day, he teaches elementary school students techniques to express themselves artistically, and he also teaches numerous classes live and online through his Palette Knife Academy which have been enjoyed nationally and internationally. A patient and encouraging teacher, Austin said his students inspire him with their creativity. Several of his students have developed their own style using the palette knife and have gone on to become professional artists as well. “There’s nothing more rewarding than that,” Austin said.
Whether he’s painting a series of his signature musicians or a landscape, Austin’s work is a lot like jazz music—filled with a calming sort of energy that keeps people coming back to it. He plans to keep “painting jazz” and inspiring others to do the same for years to come.
To find the the gallery in Lowe Mill A&E, click MORE INFO below (Tickets are NOT required.)