Mr. Imagination (aka Gregory Warmack)
please click image to enlarge
artist: Mr. Imagination
title: Bottlecap staff (detail)
inventory: MRI-3926
media: mixed media and bottlecaps
size: 43 x 10 x 9 inches
price: contact gallery
artist: Mr. Imagination
title: Head
inventory: MRI-3328
media: Sandstone
size: 12 x 19 inches
price: contact gallery
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artist: Mr. Imagination
title: Faces
inventory: MRI-3327
media: Sandstone
size: 8 x 8 inches
price: contact gallery
Mr. Imagination (born 1948)
Richard A Webster discusses the life and work of the inspirational artist:
A young artist sold pieces of self-made jewelry to random customers for small dollars in the darkened streets of Chicago. The year was 1978. Days before the fateful night, Mr. imagination had heard a voice which told him that someone wanted to kill him. And then the shadow from the alley tapped his shoulder and from the hungry mouth of a .22 caliber, the bullets screamed. Mr. Imagination stumbled into a nearby bar and gurgled pleas of help. The bartender dragged his body to an adjacent lot where the paramedics found him. The assailant escapes with 40 cents and Mr. Imagination was left with 8 metal clamps stapled to his stomach
"I recognized the guy from my neighborhood," Mr. Imagination said. "'I used to give him change. I heard a loud noise that sounded like a cannon. My stomach started burning like someone had opened it up and filled it with hot coals. I floated above the operating table and saw my body and heard the voices of my family. And then I saw a bright light. It was all very peaceful, almost as if I was traveling through history and looking at ancient civilizations. If you look at my work, it has the feeling of being both ancient and timeless."
But Mr. Imagination escaped death, and more than 30 years have passed, his artwork can be found in the Smithsonian, the Judy Saslow Gallery and the House of Blues located in both Chicago and Orlando. He was chosen to create a piece for the Coca Cola Olympic Salute to Folk Art at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and was featured in an exhibit at the Terra Museum in 1993, which the New York Times hailed as one of the most significant shows of the year. From Philadelphia to New York, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Chicago, Orlando and soon the cities of Europe, Mr. Imagination's art entered the lives of many and made a connection. In 2011, Mr. Imagination was selected to create an installation piece at the Venice Biennale in Venice, Italy.
