Chad Cortez Everett, Vivant Art Collection, located in Gallery Row at 60 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
“Chad Cortez Everett is a professional artist, art educator, motivational speaker and media artist. His art work has been exhibited in several galleries, popular craft fairs, cultural events, and important private collections, throughout the Northeast region. Chad paints in a narrative style, creating expressive and awe-striking artwork. Chad is a highly awarded artist, winning first place in the 2010 Art Regional Exhibition at the Center for Creative Arts in Delaware and named the 2011 Visual Artist of the Year by The African American Coalition of Reading.
Chad Cortez Everett was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. He attended high school at Overbrook High School and Pennsylvania Governor’s School of Excellence for Visual and Performing Arts. He later received his Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting and a certification in Arts Education from Temple University, Tyler School of Art. Chad earned his Master’s degree in Fine Arts from Maryland Institute, College of Art (MICA) where he attended the famous The Hoffeberger School of Painting and worked with Grace Hartigan, a famous American expressionist painter. Mr. Everett is a full time art teacher and mentor at McCullough Middle School, Colonial School District of New Castle, Delaware.” – Chad Cortez Everett website
Chad Cortez Everett, Vivant Art Collection
First Friday can be fun, exciting and a little intimidating with so much to see in a jam-packed few hours. Photographer Jeff Stroud and DoN set out to see as much as possible with one of our first stops being at Vivant Art Collection. The gallery is usually filled with international art but this month gallery owner Florcy Morisset is presenting Chad Cortez Everett‘s first one-person gallery show. DoN asked a few question while Jeff captured some images of the broad array of paintings. The artist told DoN that Florcy Morissett had to convince him to unveil his art collection to the world in her gallery.
What do you mean that Florcy took you under her wing?
“What do I mean by that? She’s someone who helped me open the door which is something I needed at this point in my career. Because I felt as though at one point I was just sitting on top of artwork. I needed an outlet for this work. So, I went to Florcy and said, ‘Florcy, how can I get my work out there? How can I make that step from being a basement artist to become a gallery professional artist?’ She sat me down and from that point on we worked something out. It worked out well.”
Is this your first gallery show?
“Yes. My first one-man show. This is all my work. Twenty years worth of work. I studied at Tyler School of Art at Temple University, I did that for about five years, Then I went to Maryland Art Institute and then I worked with Grace Hartigan for about two years.”
Chad Cortez Everett, Vivant Art Collection
So, for twenty years you’ve been sitting on artwork? Why?
“Yes, I have. I think it’s because I wanted to get my catalog out in the world but I was jumping through so many different series of work and I said to myself, ‘How can I show a series without feeling it’s all that’s going on?’ And Florcy sat me down and said, ‘Just show it off. Show it all and let the world see what you’ve been working on for the past twenty years.’ And that’s what we did.”
What is your medium?
“I work in oils and I also work in acrylic. I use acrylics as my under-coat and oils as the final finish on everything. I usually go with acrylics first then oils second, I try not to go back and forth. Sometimes the archival nature starts to crack. I just use the acrylic, I take most of my time working on the under-painting. The under-painting usually takes longer than the finish.”
I see a lot of figures in your work. Are you working with models?
“I work with models and also I work with photographs and a lot of internet images. I go back and forth with the models.”
That’s very modern to use the internet.
“Oh yeah. You get the best models on the internet!”
Written by DoN Brewer except where noted. Photographs by Jeff Stroud – Nature Spirit Photography. Prints, cards and gifts by Jeff Stroud available on www.Redbubble.com
Follow the original DoNArTNeWs Philadelphia Art News Blog at www.brewermultimedia.com
Like Vivant Art Collection on facebook
Like DoNArTNeWs Philadelphia Art News Blog on facebook
Like Jeff Stroud- Nature Spirit Photography on facebook
Follow DoN on Twitter @DoNNieBeat58
DoNArTNeWS on Tumblr
@donniebeat on Instagram
Affiliate Marketing Disclosure Statement
Donate via safe and secure PayPal in the sidebar to help defray the costs of producing this blog post.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
DoN,
Great to see the work, Chad Cortez Everett’s paintings from this perspective. What I mean is I try to walk around the gallery and get a sense of what is going. Yet I am also looking for the correct angle to photograph from. So really seeing Chad’s art expressed with his words allows one to know that he has placed a great deal of time to bring his visions to light, to life!
What I saw and experienced while in the gallery was a spiritual experience, not my own, that of a man who has created this work.
Thank you DoN for the opportunity to photograph such amazing creativity!
Thanks for your contributions, Jeff. Your perspective shows off the art as well as the space and scope of the gallery.
You must log in to post a comment.