Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 24" x 30" x 1.5"
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
¡Ojo! and Free Krypto are artists belonging to BEForFineARTS collective. Formerly a psychiatric inmate at New Folsom Prison, ¡Ojo! is currently a recovery educator an MFA student at Chapman University. Currently an art student in southern California, Free Krypto enjoys comedy, walks by the ocean, and listening to birds sing. She looks forward to meeting people and sharing interests. She strives to be environmentally friendly and hopes that people enjoy her art as much as she likes to bury stuff. Both artists founded the collective in 2023 with the launch of BeForFineArts.com a website that partners with recovery programs for purposes of teaching collaborative art workshops to former inmates as well as people with mental health diagnoses and substance misuse histories.
ARTIST STATEMENT
BEForFineARTS collective is community promoting artists with a concern for individual, social and environmental recovery. With current bases in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, the collective brings together creatives who not only collaboratively produce artwork, but also dedicate time to urban restoration.
"Houses We Build" refers to the shaky character structures of many artists who live according to mad artists' narratives. "For three decades beginning in my 20's, I was a sucker for all the crazed, starved, substance abusing, sex-addicted artist icons," says ¡Ojo!. "This painting reflects the suicidal, burnt-out, and hopelessness I was feeling at the time as a result of those influences."
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 24" x 30" x 1.5"
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
¡Ojo! and Free Krypto are artists belonging to BEForFineARTS collective. Formerly a psychiatric inmate at New Folsom Prison, ¡Ojo! is currently a recovery educator an MFA student at Chapman University. Currently an art student in southern California, Free Krypto enjoys comedy, walks by the ocean, and listening to birds sing. She looks forward to meeting people and sharing interests. She strives to be environmentally friendly and hopes that people enjoy her art as much as she likes to bury stuff. Both artists founded the collective in 2023 with the launch of BeForFineArts.com a website that partners with recovery programs for purposes of teaching collaborative art workshops to former inmates as well as people with mental health diagnoses and substance misuse histories.
ARTIST STATEMENT
BEForFineARTS collective is community promoting artists with a concern for individual, social and environmental recovery. With current bases in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, the collective brings together creatives who not only collaboratively produce artwork, but also dedicate time to urban restoration.
"Houses We Build" refers to the shaky character structures of many artists who live according to mad artists' narratives. "For three decades beginning in my 20's, I was a sucker for all the crazed, starved, substance abusing, sex-addicted artist icons," says ¡Ojo!. "This painting reflects the suicidal, burnt-out, and hopelessness I was feeling at the time as a result of those influences."
