Extreme Exhibit
Donald O. Greene
E14 Gallery
969 Broadway Ave.
Oakland
Closed
At the E14 Gallery, poured concrete floors and walls with exposed metal beams dotting the space. Temporary easels, a large frame propped by the plate glass windows. Balloons bobbed by the door, locked. Pop-up banners scattered in corners featured the art and quotations of Donald O. Greene.
Greene lounged in an office chair, sunglasses on, hat pulled low and collar pulled high, at a table by the entrance to the large and mostly empty space. The gallery, on a busy stretch of Broadway in downtown Oakland, may not have a permanent tenant, but for the past week it was home to a collection of works by the Oakland-based artist and arts educator. His exhibit and benefit sale were in place to raise money for medical costs, and I found myself wishing I had space in my budget and on my walls to support him.
A mixture of collage, acrylic paints and paint pen, and multi-media objects such as clip-on earrings and other costume jewelry, the pieces lined the walls of the huge room, more than enough to look at with plenty of blank space surrounding.
Many were from the collection “Jewels of Jazz On My Mind,” featuring photos of some of the greats collaged with words both typed and hand drawn, and incorporated into large and layered pieces.
A series of distorted faces, also mixed media, adorned much of the room, some playful, some bashful, some mournful.
The simplest are priced as low as $75, with others infinitely more complex ranging up to $5,000, unframed.
Greene told me he works in acrylics because he likes how versatile they are; oil just doesn’t do it for him. Some of his lines, even viewed closely, resembled embroidery to me, and metallics make appearances in many pieces. The depth of textures is entrancing, and the joy and love he has for his subjects, for art, and for his community. are palpable.
Support our local makers — educators like him are absolutely essential to the future of our arts.
Visit his website or email him at [email protected] to purchase!
