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"It’s not fine, art it’s fun art. It’s about the characters." 

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Each piece has a story. I started out painting fish and birds. This area has a vibrant culture that revolves around nature. When I would paint, and I would find myself giving each creature a back story. That’s how the Backyard Variety Gang (BVG) was started. It’s a collection of characters that you might find in your backyard. Then the collection grew, and I added characters from modern “Pop” culture and that’s when I started to lean into the Pop Art style. 

There are many great artists from this region, but I have drawn a lot of inspiration from George Rodrigue. His work captured the rich heritage of this area and his most famous character, The Blue Dog, with her piercing yellow eyes, was a major influence when developing the modern BVG. I start most of my paintings with a deep yellow eye as my focal point. Other pieces are just me trying to get an image out of my head and onto a canvas. It’s usually done quickly and with little detail. But when life gets as busy as it has been, I’ve learned to embrace simplicity. 

I want to make art that people remember. Simple and bold is easy to remember. 

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--Lerin Freyou