Brian Gonnella // Painter (pt. 2)

The first time that I met Brian, he had graciously invited me into the third floor studio space of his Lawrenceville home. Since we're neighbors, since it was freezing outside, and since he hadn't left his space in a while, we conducted this chat in my place. The plan was originally to chat about his upcoming shows but we quickly delved into philosophy. Everything about Brian’s work refers to the journey of his life and the buddhist philosophy that underlined his world outlook. He is absolutely the most prolific artist in Pittsburgh, pumping out paintings and drawings by the dozens over a weekend. He appeared slightly stressed out when we chatted but it seemed that talking about this intense production period has given him a slight respite and a small window to reflect on the work. We never even got around to the fact that he is a curator at the local dive bar, Remedy, in Lawrenceville. "The Road is a Peril the World is a Pearl" is the most beautiful name for a most beautiful body of work. Be sure to check out his work at Imagebox, 4933 Penn Avenue (15224), on March 6th, 2015 during Unblurred and then his show at Gallery 4 opening May 2nd, 2015! Brian Gonnella on the Internet www.bgoart.com Brian Gonnella: Art on Facebook @briangonnellaisboring on Instagram Brian Gonnella's first chat on the AP Collection