Pamela “Lala” Jackson and Morgan Moretz’s “By All Means, An Art Show” is an event inspired by van Gogh’s quote: “If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”
Moretz, an Augusta native, has been doodling and playing with a variety of media since she was a child. She recalls drawing with her aunt, artist Elizabeth Moretz-Britt. “I remember sitting in the inspired, paint-splattered studio in her home as she tried to get me to look beyond the horse statue I was drawing and see the entire scene,” Moretz, 23, said. She moved to Massachusetts after high school to attend Boston University for a communications degree. After graduating in 2009, Moretz moved to Dresden, Germany. Being far away from home several times, she grounded herself by painting and drawing.
Jackson was born in Hawaii, but her family moved many times. Because her grandparents were patrons of the arts in New York City, Jackson was exposed to concerts, plays and museums at a young age. She moved back to Hawaii at age 15, where she worked at a hip hop shop, The Armory. She was one of the few girls there, and the local graffiti artists encouraged her curiosity in graffiti. She didn’t paint on a canvas until her senior year in high school. It was then that Jackson chose paint as her sole medium. “I prefer to paint, because I’m an awful drawer,” Jackson, 24, said. “I let myself go when I’m working with paint, because I don’t feel so constricted by detail of line.”
Moretz and Jackson met last year while working at the German American Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta. They discovered that they shared an interest in art, yet a lack in formal training. “We got to talking in January and threw around the idea of having an art show,” said Moretz. “We decided to screw what other people define as artists and take the reins into our own hands.”
Both Jackson and Moretz saw this show as their chance to discover their artistic voices. The inspiration for their artwork comes from quotes by van Gogh, like, “I am not an adventurer by choice but by fate,” and Bob Marley: “In this bright future, you can’t forget your past.”
“Each of us has a vision of the world within us, and each of us has the ability to express it,” Moretz said. “Either through art, music, writing, even accounting, we can all be artists if we try. By all means.”
“By All Means, An Art Show” takes place on Saturday, June 4 at House of Hookah on 398 14th St. The show beings at 1 p.m., and a reception will follow at 5 p.m. Alongside Jackson and Moretz’s work will be a joint artistic contribution from guests. Artwork will be on display and for sale throughout the summer.
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