Artwork by Paul Crosby, a southside Indianapolis artist whose work will be featured at the Southside Art League Off Broadway Gallery through the month of March.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The colors and characters of childhood drew him back in.
As Paul Crosby was rediscovering his artistic passion, he thought back to the images and designs that excited him as a child. He loved the look of classic board games like Monopoly, the iconic logo of Batman, the foreboding castle of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Pop culture of the ’60s and ’70s became his muse.
“There was a point where I thought art had to have some social relevance. When you looked at it, it had to speak to you or have something that really mattered,” he said. “I’ve learned that can be true, but it doesn’t have to be true.
“Once I got by that feeling of it mattering more what it said than how it looked, I became a lot more free to choose things that are childlike, colorful, sometimes goofy.”
The result has been a trove of colorful, whimsical, even fun works of art that have become Crosby’s focus. The southside Indianapolis resident uses a number of different mediums, including acrylics, ceramics, chalk, paper making and most recently woodworking to convey his love of color and youth-centric subjects.
As the featured artist in March at the Southside Art League, Crosby hopes that the joy he finds in making this work carries over to those who see what he’s done.
“I hope they leave saying that this was really fun — that they’ve never seen anything like this before,” he said.
Crosby, 63, had retired from his long career with the Gene Glick company doing property management and was looking for a worthwhile way to use his new free time. He had always appreciated art, going back to his childhood when he would work on a variety of projects.
But it was his wife, Clara, who pushed him fully into more creative endeavors.
“She’s an elementary school art teacher, and with her support and understanding, she saw art in a completely different way. She encouraged me in ways I never been encouraged before — mainly to appreciate others’ art and be inspired by it,” he said. “That made a huge difference.”
Over the course of a decade, Crosby has evolved his style to weave the aesthetic of comics, movies, music and other aspects into his work.
Monopoly has emerged as a prime focus of his.
“It has such iconic artwork, and it’s so recognizable,” he said. “Because of that, I’ve done a number of pieces that is inspired by Monopoly — the game itself and some of the individual images that come from that game.”
For example, one of the pieces included in the Southside Art League show is a stylized wardrobe that he crafted himself, adorned with images from the game, including the Monopoly Man, the policeman sending players to jail and some of the tokens from the game.
Crosby has found the style he works in, with a focus on children’s furniture, helps people connect with the work and cherish it. He’s found that art trends tend to rise and fall, meaning a piece someone buys at one point may go out of style later on.
“I’ve created furniture that contains images of whatever that might be for a specific person, either someone that I know or my own kids,” he said. “I have two kids with kids, and each one of them has a rocking chair or a stool with their name and some kind of a picture that is reflective of who they are. I know then that they’ll never outgrow those — they might physically, but not emotionally.”
During the show at the Southside Art League, Crosby plans to have a variety of the furniture that he’s crafted over the years, in addition to other pieces depicting pop culture.
One of the pieces is a large monochromatic chalk drawing of the Wicked Witch of the West’s castle from “The Wizard of Oz.” Another work includes a map of Middle Earth from J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels.
“Eclectic is a word I find flattering when it’s applied to my artwork and my artistic bent,” Crosby said. “I hope others find it eclectic.”
IF YOU GO
Paul Crosby exhibition
What: A collection of of 2-D and 3-D pieces including carvings, chalk and resin art by the southside Indianapolis artist.
When: Through March 25
Where: Southside Art League Off Broadway Gallery, 299 E. Broadway St., Greenwood
Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; closed Sunday through Tuesday
Reception: Crosby will host a public reception 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the gallery.
