Velvet paintings have a bad rap in the art world, rightly so since they’re usually terrible. But Bruce White is turning that conceit on its head with black velvet paintings of subjects we actually like striking poses that remind us why they make us laugh. We’ve already highlighted some of White’s art here before (his Eddie Murphy, Rob Corddry, and John C. Reilly portraits). Now he has a full show at Gallery 1988’s Melrose location. The show, Velvet Paintings For Your Inner Nerd, opened this weekend and runs until August 15th.
Bruce White is a North Carolinan painter and tattoo artist whose acrylic on velvet works are so realistic they catch you off guard. His subject matter is also delightful. Velvet paintings aren’t supposed to be this awesome. Well, they’re not supposed to be intentionally awesome in a non-horrible way, unlike most flea market kitsch.
Some of our favorites from the show are collected below. The full show is on exhibit at Gallery 1988 Melrose and some paintings are still available to buy here. You can also check out more of White’s black velvet paintings for your inner nerd at his site.
Bruce White “Brian Fantana”
Bruce White “Ron Burgundy”
Bruce White “Billy Mitchell”
Bruce White “Zoolander”
Bruce White “Fezzik”
Bruce White “Dread Pirate Roberts”
Bruce White “Robocop”
Bruce White “Dwight Schrute”
Bruce White “H.I. McDunnough”
Bruce White “Sloth”
Bruce White “Dusty Bottoms”
Bruce White “Gonzo”
Bruce White “Dr Ian Malcolm”
Bruce White “Duckie”
Bruce White “Drago”
Bruce White “Daniel-san”
Bruce White “Mr Miyagi”
Bruce White “Doctor Emmett Brown”
Bruce White “Jerri Blank”
Bruce White “Johnny Smith”
Bruce White “Jereth, The Goblin King”
Bruce White “First Officer Spock”
Bruce White “Lt Hikaru Sulu”
Bruce White “Shaun”
Bruce White “Wendy Torrance”
Bruce White “Ferris Bueller”
Bruce White “Milton”
Bruce White “Wonka”
“Wally World Security”
Okay, slideshow’s over. Moose outside shoulda told ya.