Age of Creation
An Exhibition of Artists Working in the Tattoo Industry
📅 Key Dates & Reception
🖼️ Exhibition Dates:
–
🥂 Opening Reception:
September 4, 6:30–9:00 PM
The opening reception is free and open to the public, with a cash bar serving beer and wine, plus hors d’oeuvres provided by The Art Center Guild.
🎨 About the Exhibition
According to exhibition co-curator Jeffrey Johnson, the title Age of Creation carries a dual meaning: “One meaning is the patterns of human creativity jeopardized by the advent of AI; the other acknowledges the moment an artist has achieved creative maturity in their work.”
This group exhibition brings together highly polished works and exploratory studies representing many stages of the creative process. The participating artists are united by their professional work in the tattoo industry, but the exhibition looks beyond the boundaries of that shared practice.
“There is an artificial divide between the tattoo subculture and the fine-arts subculture; this exhibition blurs the boundaries between the two,” Johnson says. Through painting, drawing, and other forms of studio practice, Age of Creation offers viewers a glimpse into the creative world beneath the surface.
🖌️ About the Artists
Paul Lunetta
Born and raised in San Diego, Paul Lunetta has lived in the Grand Valley for 15 years. He studied at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco from 2005 to 2009. Lunetta began tattooing in 2004 and has worked professionally since 2009.
Lunetta prefers to work in oils and is drawn to a classical, academic approach. His passion for exploring the human figure and landscape is frequently paired with excursions into surrealism.
Jacob Sheffield
Originally from Panama City, Florida, Jacob Sheffield has been part of the Grand Valley community since 2019. Without a formal art education, he developed his practice independently through experimentation and personal exploration. He works primarily in oil paint and has a strong interest in surrealism.
Brandon Fuller
Brandon Fuller moved to Mesa County from Los Angeles in 2019 after earning a BFA in Illustration from Laguna College of Art and Design in Southern California. A professional tattoo artist since 2018, he traces his interest in drawing back to creating images on napkins at the dinner table in 1994.
When he is not designing tattoos, Fuller practices indirect oil painting and explores animation and three-dimensional sculpting.
Jeffrey Johnson
Jeffrey Johnson moved to Grand Junction from Wyoming in 2007. He earned a BFA in Studio Art and Art History from Mesa State College, now Colorado Mesa University. After teaching design at CMU for two years, he began tattooing in 2017.
Whether working in tattooing or oil painting, Johnson strives to create art that resonates as transcendent, spiritual, or psychedelic.
Autumn Hudson
Autumn Hudson was born and raised in Manhattan, Montana. She studied at Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia before beginning her tattoo career in 2010. She has lived in Grand Junction since 2019.
Outside of tattooing, Hudson works in oils, watercolor, and charcoal. Her practice typically focuses on portraiture and figurative work, often incorporating surrealist tendencies.
