Ghosts

July 4 - August 29, 2014

  • Ghost #1, 37" x 37" oil on canvas

  • Ghost #2, 25" x 37" oil on canvas

  • Ghost #3, 25" x 37" oil on canvas

  • Ghost #4, 25" x 37" oil on canvas

  • Ghost #5, 25" x 37" oil on canvas

  • Ghost #6, 16" x 31" oil on canvas

  • Skull #1, 9" x 12" ink and watercolor on paper (sheet music)

  • Skull #2, 9" x 12" ink and watercolor on paper (sheet music)

  • Skull #3, 9" x 12" ink and watercolor on paper (sheet music)

  • Skull #4, 9" x 12" ink and watercolor on paper (sheet music)

  • Skull #5, 9" x 12" ink and watercolor on paper (sheet music)

  • Skull #6, 9" x 12" ink and watercolor on paper (sheet music)

  • Skull #7, 9" x 12" ink and watercolor on paper (sheet music)

  • Skull #8, 9" x 12" ink and watercolor on paper (sheet music)

  • Skull #9, 9" x 12" ink and watercolor on paper (sheet music)

Gene Coffey is a renowned tattoo artist working in a non-traditional, semi-abstract style. The same aesthetic carries over into his oil on canvas paintings , the medium he chooses to work in other than skin. In the "Ghosts" series, figures appear partly obscured by vertical lines of paint, bringing to mind the haunting after-images of a dream. According to Coffey his inspiration ranges from graffiti and street art to the Renaissance masters, works he encountered during his many international travels.
A year at the School of Visual Arts, and work as a commercial illustrator formed his arts background but after abandoning various non-art-related jobs seven years ago, he has devoted himself to tattooing full-time.