Crystal Wise
Fort Worth artist Charles Gray’s work is instantly recognizable once you are familiar with his use of imagery inspired by Pokemon and anime combined with immersive portraits of friend and family. Recently, he has gained the attention of collectors, which might be because of his consistent momentum taking on a variety of different art experiences.
Since May of this year, he has taken part in an alum show at The Carillon, drawn live at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, and made a curatorial debut with a doubleheader at Arts Fort Worth featuring photographers Dontrius Williams and Christopher Knowles. In July, a show including 20 pieces of his work as part of the 2021-22 Talley Dunn Gallery Equity in the Arts Fellowship opened.
With past work in galleries like Dallas’ 500x, the inaugural show at Dang Good Candy, and even galleries in Oregon and Belgium, this rising star is definitely one to watch. Find out more about his inspiration and more in this take 6.
What is your art about?
It’s pretty autobiographical. It’s about me, my life, my experiences, my brother, and our family dynamic and anime. My mother and I ride around and go play Pokemon, and my brother and I will watch anime together and then chitchat about it. So, it’s something that’s less serious from reality that we used to decompress. That is the main thing that I feel like painting about. Previously I painted about family, but it was through the lens of trauma. For 500X, it was two chickens. I found out one of my family members was purchased for two chickens, so I would paint family portraits with two chickens I bought and raised, and used for reference, images with these portraits of my family. I also realized after doing something like that, who wants to talk about trauma?
What is one of your favorite career highlights?
Definitely curating the show at Arts Fort Worth with Dontrius and Christopher. Because of working with people and listening to people, you end up being better at articulating yourself in your own stuff. Sometimes I get in my bubble. I forget that other people have to see this and understand what I’m trying to say.
By putting a show together and hearing what they’re trying to say now, we have to have a dialogue to discover what’s the best way for you to say this? Chris, for example, never had a solo show. He doesn’t know that there are no rules. He’s thinking everything has to be just on the wall. But no, you could put newspaper on the wall, you can put buckets, you can install. So, we have to sit down and talk and write and make a list and what can we do and talk about. The developmental aspect of walking with somebody through creating a universe of things, that was very helpful.
What’s next?
I’ve been applying for residencies. I want to have an opportunity to work with a museum-level entity, and they say, you have this budget and you have a year to make what you want to make. The thing I grew up with was anime, even my mom played Pokemon, so it was mixed with my family dynamic. I want to make these things as big and important as they were to me in real life. I want to make a fight scene with 3D printed big sculptures of animated characters that are fighting through the museum from inside to outside of the building. Something that grandiose.
Crystal Wise
How would you advise other artists to find that place where you are — where their art is recognizably theirs?
It’s definitely stages. The first stage is you realizing “I want to make art.” Then you have to decide what are the tools that I have that are God-given? Like drawing or writing. Whatever you can do that you feel is your medium. So, understanding your gifts and your abilities. Then the harder part after that is understanding yourself. Who am I? Who am I when I’m being authentic? How much of my authenticity am I willing to show people? These are my abilities I feel confident to show people, and then how do I take my authenticity and put these things together? That’s how you know you’ve made a good thing.
Who are some local artists you think people should know more about?
Dontrius Williams, Christopher Knowles, Letitia Huckaby, Spencer Evans, and Tatyana Alanis.
What is something else you would like to tell people?
If you don’t like someone or you don’t agree with them or they were mean to you, whatever. Try your hardest not to talk about them in public. I’m not saying don’t do it; do it on a piece of paper, do it in your room with the door closed, but do not publicly talk down on people or places or things. Having an opinion about something? Yes. If something’s wrong, say “This is wrong, and this is why this is wrong,” but don’t be malicious.
