The Stories Behind the Pictures: The Art of Charles Gray

Fort Worth Native Charles Gray is a bright and multi-talented artist working hard to hone his craft and reveal the nuances of his lived experience. Gray has regularly taken classes at Tarrant County College and more recently at the University of Texas at Arlington, furthering his skills in drawing, painting, digital illustration, photography, and video.

Photo courtesy of Art Tooth

At TCC, Gray met local artist and Chair of Fine Arts Joshua Goode whose instruction he credits with exposing him to a broader understanding of the contemporary art world and the power of art to construct narratives and messages. His studies with Goode also led to a pivotal tour of European art centers across Germany and Belgium. Since attending UTA, Gray also developed a close relationship to prominent local painter Sedrick Huckaby who recently invited Gray to collaborate on the Vote = Voice campaign.

The organization gathered local artists in the creation of six murals across Fort Worth, encouraging people from marginalized communities to vote in the 2020 election. Gray’s contribution features an illustration of a smiling young Black girl in high pigtails. She wears large red and blue earrings inscribed with the words VOTE and VOICE. The lively and approachable design was later adapted to T-shirts, yard signs, and a large light projection that graced the side of the Fort Worth Community Arts Center for several nights leading up to the election.

Artist: Charles Gray

Animated characters play a significant role in much of Gray’s work. The artist considers illustration to be a powerful vehicle for conveying relatable and challenging themes to a broad public. As an adolescent, he immersed himself in Japanese anime: shows like Dragon Ball Z, Pokémon, and films by Hayao Miyazaki. Toonami, the late-night 3.5-hour cartoon block launched on Adult Swim in 2012, was also an influence.

Across genres, Gray was continually drawn to characters and narratives that complicated the traditional hero/villain dynamic. He appreciates when writers reveal a variety of viewpoints and events that shape the motivations of characters. In recent works, Gray paints himself alongside animated characters whose backstories parallel the complexities of his own narrative. Puzzling out these images at times requires knowledge of both trading card games and biblical scripture and discovering their subtleties is intensely rewarding.

More recently, Gray has focused his attention on creating portraits of his friends and family. Some feature Pokémon elements that likewise play upon the lives and personalities of his subjects. More often the figures appear solo, dynamically posed against a golden or vibrant orange backdrop. Gray’s bold designs hold viewers’ attention, encouraging us to spend time contemplating the vitality and stories behind each portrait. Carefully described features often reveal warm and playful expressions that easily build connections with viewers and suggest Gray’s close relationship to each subject.

Artist: Charles Gray

In his recent work, Gray admits that he unintentionally built a collection of portraits of people from minority communities. He was just documenting people from his daily life, people whose company he enjoyed and whose lives and stories made a significant impression on him. Gray enjoys documenting the vitality of his friends and family, but it doesn’t escape his attention that the diversity of his subjects is less commonly seen across the history of art. Through his work, he hopes to continue documenting these lesser-known stories and figures.

Gray’s recent exhibition titled Not for Sale at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center featured portraits of himself and members of his family paired with paintings of chickens. In this case, the chickens were rendered from life. Gray raised two at his home in Fort Worth, tending to their coop for almost two years while completing the series.

Artist: Charles Gray

The paintings reference a painful episode in Gray’s family history passed down through generations. According to family lore, one of his ancestors was once sold for the price of two chickens. As with many stories tied to our nation’s troubling legacy of slavery, the transaction lacks official documentation. Gray’s story is part of a dark history most would sooner forget. This spurs the artist to bring the conversation to the fore. His images ask viewers to reckon with the harsh realities of his heritage and the terrible prices our country once placed on humanity.

Gray’s practice is wide ranging and reveals unique insights into the life of a young black artist during a tumultuous time in our country when issues of race, representation, and social justice are top of mind. Keep your eyes on this rising star, as he responds thoughtfully to the pressing issues of today. I expect we will only hear more of his achievements in the years to come.

The work of Charles Gray was recently featured in a solo exhibition at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center. He is a grant recipient in connection with “THE NEW NORMAL: An Artist’s Response to COVID-19” presented by Fine Line Group and Gallery of Dreams. His work was also previously selected for the 2019 College Expo at 500X Gallery in Dallas.

You can see Gray’s latest body of work in a solo exhibition at Tulips in Fort Worth, the city’s premiere mid-sized venue for live music. On view daily through Monday, December 21, the exhibition is the first in a series of collaborations curated by Art Tooth and presented in partnership with Tulips.

To learn more about Charles Gray, visit:

Website: charlesgrayart.com
Instagram: @artbycharlesgray
YouTube: youtube.com/bigteezzy

This article is part of a series of artist profiles made possible through a partnership between Tanglewood Moms and the artist-led nonprofit, Art Tooth.

Auriel Garza is an art historian and museum educator currently based in Fort Worth, Texas, where she works for the Kimbell Art Museum. She has a BFA with an emphasis in art history, theory, and criticism from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a MA in art history from Texas Christian University. She has previously worked for museums, galleries, and cultural nonprofits in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami Beach, and San Antonio. She also serves on the board of directors for Art Tooth, an artist-run non-profit that provides exhibition opportunities and resources to emerging and mid-career artists in DFW.