Our friend Augustus Thompson is having a show at Fifty24SF, opening tonight. We grew up with Gus and he’s developed an amazing style that’s refreshingly unique.

“Thompson’s watercolor portraits bleed with mortality. The eyes of his subjects reveal men (young, old, a tiger) surprised by the grip of their slipping, impermanent selves. JUXTAPOZ writes, “Thompson’s faces have a life to them, a poetic style more in line with the Beat era than with his contemporaries.” In the larger works, Thompson uses color and force of line to articulate the inner howling of his human subjects; each painting an isolated, universal beat. Seen together, the portraits and landscapes form a cinematic rush through the back alley of a young man’s life. Thompson writes, “Whatever happens gets packed into my paintings. Black culture and rhythm. Love. Being tired and poor while being privileged and white. Interiors by Vuillard. I can paint everything in a face.”” – Fifty24SF

If you’re in SF check out the show or Augustus’ Blog for more work.