Van J's Mantel Painting

An American painter, photographer, and print-maker, Everett Spruill is an innovator. Born in 1954 in Birmingham, Alabama USA. Everett Spruill attended Berea College, where he majored in Business. It was during this time that he painted watercolor landscapes and portraits in the tradition of the French Impressionist, but did not seriously entertain the idea of a career in the arts. While managing a Hotel in Miami, and with frequent visits to the Miami Museum, a Picasso exhibition changed his mind as he was inspired by the simplicity of the work and the geometric patterns that formed the images. After relocating to Orlando, Spruill took up painting seriously and it was after two "accidental paintings" that he found his success. Known as The "Old School Jazz and Blues" series Everett creates paintings and collages, inspired by Romare Bearden, out of a variety of materials. From that time on Spruill consistently created increasingly complex variations of recycled and re-purposed materials focusing on Jazz as a central theme. Spruill constantly challenges himself to source new materials and expand his resources. His first radical shift came in 1999, with the "Tribal Rhythms Series" in which he employs interlocking geometric shapes combined with graffiti techniques. It was around this time as well that he created his first abstract prints in screen printing, linoleum cuts, and offset lithography. During the following decade, Spruill introduced texture into his art, which he came to call "Nuvo-stained glass" painting for its transparent qualities. From the mid-1990s to 2010, Spruill created a large body of work that responded in a general way to the childlike simplicity of creating art. During this time, the increasingly abstract collages of Spruill's paintings gave way to a multitude of materials from electronic components, textiles, recycled wallpaper, and decorative architectural elements. To create these works, the artist used appropriated materials and digital technologies. In 2017, Spruill began making wire sculptures for public spaces and developing architectural projects. Still residing in Orlando Florida with his many accolades, Everett Spruill prints and paintings are most famous for his work in the areas of collage and cubist abstraction.