Tallahassee native explores essence of Florida kitsch in solo exhibit

In his newest solo exhibition, Cosby Painter Hayes reaches beyond majestic murals to create small-scale wonders.

These newest works delve into a unique aesthetic he's grown up with - the look and feel of touristy Florida. After a packed opening in April, the Artport Gallery exhibit, which runs through May 15, has become a popular site for visitors and locals alike to see flamingo floaties and golden dolphins.

Gratifying graffiti

From the dawn of humankind, cave dwellers have painted walls to express themselves and tell stories through markings and images. Greeks and Romans painted significant protest poems on the sides of walls, like those found in Pompeii. In the late 1800s, guerilla fighters during the rebellion painted graffiti to challenge slavery and oppressive regimes.

Modern graffiti evolved in appearance but continued to challenge and subvert the status quo. Through time, painting directly onto street walls gained validation and birthed the art of street murals.

These extra-large paintings add character to any town and provide a literal space for artists to share their work with the community. Tallahassee artists have beautified the sides of buildings and city walls in areas like Railroad Square, Midtown and Frenchtown.

For muralist and radical artist Painter Hayes, graffiti has always been a mysterious allure that appeared overnight and fueled a life of artistic expression. “I was captivated by seeing entire freight train cars rolling by covered from side to side in colorful names, with letters that had so much energy and movement,” Painter Hayes said. Influenced by street artists who created site-specific works on unsanctioned walls, he picked up a spray can and began making murals.

Painter Hayes was born and raised in Tallahassee and credits his mother, an art teacher, for encouraging his early artistic expression and creative endeavors. Unlike most young artists who begin by drawing small-scale figures and flowers, Painter Hayes started big!

“I think I painted more walls than canvases when I first started creating my own art,” Painter Hayes said. “This made ‘working smaller’ more of a challenge to me than adjusting to large-scale murals. I still find it a bit challenging to paint on a small scale,” Painter Hayes said. By the time he attended Florida State University, where he eventually received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting, he had painted several walls, both sanctioned and not.

His murals continue to fill Tallahassee’s walls, with one of his favorites being a portrait of local legend George Clinton in Railroad Square on the side of the retail shop The Other Side Vintage.

Larger than life

Painting on a large scale comes with unique advantages and problems. Painter Hayes compares it to playing a contact sport, a brutal process that produces exciting results. He reminds us that not only is size a complexity to navigate, but artists must battle the elements when painting outside.

He refers to the “myriad of logistical problems,” like finding electricity for lights, obtaining a paint sprayer and water, and procuring equipment, which are all key points during the artistic process. Painter Hayes’s partner in life is also his partner in art. His wife, Sarah, also an accomplished artist and muralist, helps prepare and execute large mural works.

Although the process varies from project to project, the fundamental critical phases of the process hold true. They create a sketch or image and then transfer it onto the wall.

Depending on what the situation calls and allows for, they will develop a strategic plan of attack using various techniques. The two usually use a grid system that divides a large mural into smaller, more manageable sections. Depending on the mural's surface, they use an assortment of paints, ranging from house paints to spray paint. For Painter Hayes, the entire process is a conversation between the wall and the mural, with some help from his artistic eye.

Capturing the unnatural allure of tourism

Not only is the current exhibit his first extensive series of smaller indoor works, these newest works delve into a unique aesthetic he's grown up with — the look and feel of touristy Florida.

The series "focuses on the modern conception of Florida as a tropical haven for leisure, and the synthetic quality of it all down to the landscapes and natural spaces we interact with here in Florida,” Painter Hayes said. “Virtually all of it has been changed and altered by people with the goal of controlling and making Florida into something wholly unnatural.”

To combat this narrative, he uses objects like antique souvenirs, disposable pool floats, and other kitschy imagery evocative of a Florida that exists only to the visitor. “The tourist’s penchant for collecting souvenirs and trinkets becomes a metaphor for the individual's desire to possess and recreate their version of paradise within the challenging climate of swamps and relentless heat,” Painter Hayes said.

The exhibit also reflects the irony in crafting a personal oasis in a region known for its natural adversities. According to Painter-Hayes, his work is a commentary on how humans need to mold environments into “personal havens” by juxtaposing images, colors, and textures.

When the Council of Culture and Arts invited Cosby Painter Hayes to exhibit this year, their Tallahassee Artport was pegged as the perfect gallery to show off his new, vibrant collection.

With a packed opening in April, the exhibit has become a popular site for visitors and locals alike to pop into. With only a couple of weeks left, see why flamingo floaties and golden dolphins scream kitschy Florida as Cosby Painter-Hayes brings his talents indoors and into our creativity-craving sight.

If you go

What: Cosby Painter Hayes | Solo Art Exhibition

When: 8 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. through May 15

Where: TLH Artport Gallery | Online at tallahasseearts.org

Cost: Free; the first 30 minutes of parking at the Tallahassee International Airport is also free

Contact: 850-6224-2500 ext 6 | info@tallahasseearts.org; tallahasseearts.org

Dr. Christy Rodriguez de Conte is the feature writer for the Council on Culture & Arts. COCA is the capital area’s umbrella agency for arts and culture (www.tallahasseearts.org).

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee artist reimagines the essence of Florida kitsch