We welcome back Miami-based artist Noah Levy as he joins us with a new collection of work City Bits featuring 16 new works as well as a new limited edition print from the exhibition. Hosted by KO Gallery in Hamtramck, Michigan, City Bits also features new work from 1xRUN alum Jesse Kassel alongside Levy’s latest body of work. Read on below as Noah gives us the rundown on his new body of work, his hand-pulled screen print and more . . .
1xRUN: Tell us a little bit about this series, anything immediate you would like us to highlight about this imagery?
Noah Levy: The paintings in the show are directly inspired by my neighborhood of Miami Beach. It’s really insane some of the things that I have seen walking around here. The contrast of beautiful, art deco architecture mixed with the modern, chaotic mixture of people is really fascinating.
1x: Was this imagery part of a recent theme or series you had?
Levy: The paintings were created as a series for the City Bits show with Jesse Kassel. Me and Jesse grew up together in the same neighborhood and I think we are both interested in similar themes. The stories we share in Detroit are countless and they are similar my experiences living in Miami.
1x: When were these pieces created and what materials were used?
Levy: These are all ideas that I have had for years. Some of the paintings are inspired by sketches of mine from a few years ago. They were created using acrylic and wood panels built by the talented Craig Hejka. Thanks Craig!
1x: How long did each of this image take to create from start to finish?
Levy: Each piece takes roughly 12 hours including the thumbnail sketches, finalizing the digital drawing, transferring it to the wood panel and painting it.
1x: What is unique about this piece compared with your other work?
Levy: I usually do a couple small paintings a month so it was fun/challenging to create 6 or 7 of these wood panels in 6 weeks. I usually do work on paper so the wood panel was new for me.
1x: When did you first start making art? What artists inspired you early on?
Levy: My grandmother is a painter. She studied at Wayne State University and I would always mess around in her studio when I was growing up. I still have a lot of those pieces. Graffiti was always my biggest inspiration growing up. Anyone who did graffiti was an inspiration to me. I took classes at Center for Creative Studies (CCS) when I was 16 and would see people painting the side of the freeway. That sparked a major part of my interest as an artist.
1x: What artists inspire you now?
Levy: I’m also a graphic designer so I like to see how other artists balance commercial art with fine art. Cody Hudson does an awesome job of that. I also like the work of Tim Lahan, Andrew Fairclough, and Andy Rementer.
1x: Do you listen to music while you work? If so what? If not then what is your environment like when you work?
Levy: Yea sometimes I need music and sometimes I enjoy silence. Recent favorites are Angel Olsen, Allah-Las, Widowspeak, La Luz, and Parquet Courts.
1x: If you could collaborate with any living artist who would it be and why?
Levy: I like collaborating with artists that are challenging yet reasonable and open to compromise.
1xRUN: Where else can people find you?
Noah Levy: Website – Instagram @thebrokenwindowtheory
-1xRUN