Work in progress

Eric Brooks is probably better known locally as an arts advocate than as an artist. He curates a few different alternative gallery spaces in town, including the monthly art shows in both locations of The Hub coffee shop, and in the bars Singer Social Club and Monolith. He organizes the monthly Art Walk Reno event of related art openings on the first Thursday of every month and is involved with the Art Spot Reno website. He also won the RN&R’s poetry contest last spring.

“This next year I’m going to make a push to be known more as an artist and less for promoting and stuff,” he said recently.

A retrospective of some his artwork is currently on display at The Generator gallery in Sparks. The show is titled Until We Say Farewell, I Will Lie to You Every Day, Because I Love You. It’s hung more or less chronologically, beginning with works that date back to 2001 and 2002 and ending with a still-in-progress painting. There are a couple of assemblage sculptures—wood and animal skulls—but most of the works are mixed-media paintings. He uses oil and acrylic paints, with solvents between layers.

Fortunately, for an exhibition that traces an artist’s development, the more recent work seems like the strongest. The earlier paintings, more than a decade old, seem a bit muddy compared to Brooks’ recent pieces.

“In my mind, it’s interesting to see the progression of an artist,” he said.

In fact, this exhibition, for him, is partly a way to say “farewell” to old approaches to art-making while embarking in some new directions. His more recent work is focused on what he calls “architectural landscapes,” paintings that are vaguely, loosely bird’s eye views of the tops of buildings, but primarily abstract explorations of color palettes and geometric forms.

“Big picture, I want people to look at it and think, ’That makes me feel good,’” he said.

The in-progress painting that anchors the show is a self portrait—as yet untitled, though it will eventually have a long, wordy title. Brooks will be in the gallery working on the painting throughout the run of the exhibition. He said he’ll be in and out, but will keep regular hours on Monday evenings from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday afternoons from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. At the closing reception for the exhibition, Brooks will sell off the 16-by-4-foot self-portrait by the inch, with a 6-inch minimum, and all proceeds benefiting The Generator art space.

“Interactive shows are always better,” he said. “People can interact with me. They can paint on it if they want to.”

Brooks grew up in a religious household in rural Idaho, before his church “kicked him out” at age 28. He then worked as an artist and arts organizer in the Bay Area and Scotland before moving to Reno in 2012.

“Living in Reno has made me realize that I do have a passion for being an artist, and I’ve been floating by,” he said. “I’d been really content with living with my mediocrity in San Francisco. And moving here and being around all these amazing artists and the environment that they’re all working in, and working together I thought, ’Holy shit, I need to step my game up a lot.’”