Artist Michael Owen's "Love Book" Release



by Kepi Martin

What does love mean? How much time do you have? (from the book)

Artist Michael Owen, along with author Rafael Alvarez, photographer Sean Scheidt, and business/marketing guru Scott Burkholder came together and put Love on the walls in Baltimore, and created The Baltimore Love Project Book. And people noticed!

I was first introduced to Michael Owen's art work by another artist that we have highlighted before Jess Rose, another MICA graduate. Then a maintenance worker who helps us with our annual art show here at The Skyloft Galleries in Highlandtown, told me about him with wide eyes and big grin expressing excitement as he reflected on what he has seen of his work. And then another artist we have featured, Ed Gross said "you know who you should have in your show?" At this point we knew we must be living under a rock? So we had to look deeper and find out more about this artist as our annual art show was fast approaching.

So it was Ed Gross that introduced us, and suggested to Michael he should add some pieces to our annual show that Ed has been apart of since the our beginning. What a pleasure to find out this was the same artist who create the Love hands and painted the underpass leading into Greektown. (Two works we knew of at the time.)

Even to this day as clients come from out of state to work with us I'm asked, once they see our art collection "Do you know who paints the Love hands? I just love that, and it's message!" Why yes we do, his studio is around the corner. And this we found out by Michael calling us asking when he could drop off a few pieces he would like to show in the 2015 AITC Art Show. But then showed up 4 minutes later with pieces in hand. (Wait, what, how?) Sometimes we forget Highlandtown, Baltimore is a mecca of talent in this art district and still growing.

The Baltimore Love Project Book Release at Eubie Blake Cultural Center on July 2nd was filled with insight to the project and all the many people it took to pull this project together. While walking to the event you could see the various smiling faces in which we had to ask one such face, a lady "So, are you going to the Eubie Blake Center to the Love Book release event?" She replied yes! And so we walked together to continue our chat about Michael Owen.

For me that's the beauty we feel art can give us and especially with The Baltimore Love Project this team has pulled together. Bravo!

Feel free to grab a copy of the Baltimore Love Project here!



The Baltimore Love Project Book Release Event July 2, 2016.