GOOD STOCK: BOXING. ART. PHOTOS. WORDS.
“Art is very important to me. Art can fit any form of life. For example, painting could be considered a sport. Anything and everything around us could be used as an expression of art. I feel that athletes who are open to art may find inspiration in it.”
—Lennox Lewis, Good Stock interview
I’m bigger than boxing.
—Muhammad Ali
Ali (mixed media), Lauren Sleat
Ms. Pretty
Van G. Garrett
Some days I wish I wasn’t so talented.
So gifted, so strong.
My hands are too skilled.
I’m pretty. Look at me.
My punches are rock candy:
Sweet. Sour. Hard.
They crack your jaw. Loosen your teeth.
Broken chalk dangling
Bloody nerves.
Don’t step on them. The crunching annoys me.
Van G. Garrett
Some days I wish I wasn’t so talented.
So gifted, so strong.
My hands are too skilled.
I’m pretty. Look at me.
My punches are rock candy:
Sweet. Sour. Hard.
They crack your jaw. Loosen your teeth.
Broken chalk dangling
Bloody nerves.
Don’t step on them. The crunching annoys me.
Lewis (mixed media), Lauren Sleat
Mr. Strong
Van G. Garrett
You don’t get shoulders like this
Eating Fruit Loops and Skittles.
Are you crazy?
What you see is hard work
Stacked upon hard work.
Punching, sweating.
Daily.
Pain. Practice.
Over. And over. And over.
Making a way out of no way.
Jabbing at goals like a concrete wall’s
Sweet spot.
Waiting for rocks to fall.
Van G. Garrett
You don’t get shoulders like this
Eating Fruit Loops and Skittles.
Are you crazy?
What you see is hard work
Stacked upon hard work.
Punching, sweating.
Daily.
Pain. Practice.
Over. And over. And over.
Making a way out of no way.
Jabbing at goals like a concrete wall’s
Sweet spot.
Waiting for rocks to fall.
Young Foreman (mixed media), Lauren Sleat
Mr. Giant
Van G. Garrett
There’s no need for
Extra talking.
Actions announce a giant.
The way he steps.
Moves. Conquers.
Soft-spoken power is unexpected.
A cross, jab, hook combination.
Quieting the gears of a rambling mouth.
Van G. Garrett
There’s no need for
Extra talking.
Actions announce a giant.
The way he steps.
Moves. Conquers.
Soft-spoken power is unexpected.
A cross, jab, hook combination.
Quieting the gears of a rambling mouth.
Brawlers, Jarrod "Toonz Day" Perez
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Roadwork
Van G. Garrett I never minded getting my hands dirty. Lugging cement and tools on hot and cold days. My friends were with their girls. I stockpiled muscles. Information. The way hay makes bricks. With hands strong enough To carry me To roads with less patches. |
Everlast
Van G. Garrett Have you ever had a victory that felt like a loss? The crowd Booing you at your job, After you’d put in an honest day’s work? Spanish Translation Has tenido alguna vez una victoria que se sintió como una perdida? La multitud abuyandote en tu trabajo, Después de lo que has puesto en un dia de trabajo honesto? |
Coming Up For Six
Van G. Garrett My fists murdered a window. They dropped the ball. They took too long. Sadness once on my shoulders Inherited the blame. The reason blood gathered like a bouquet. The reason thorns of scars wrap my right arm. Somewhere, people relive that story. No one laughs. |
Broken To Build
After George Foreman
Van G. Garrett
I’ve delivered punches and sermons.
Hands sweaty after both.
Smaller than Texas,
My heart’s felt the world.
Muddied boots.
Camera shy.
Salvation floored like garlic
Or a right cross.
A change.
Revelation.
A fight:
Me versus me.
Ducking. Dodging.
Something bigger.
Better than me.
An epiphany.
Wounded hands lifted me.
A broken body
Saved me.
God could’ve crushed in ways
I pummeled opponents.
He showed
Mercy.
After George Foreman
Van G. Garrett
I’ve delivered punches and sermons.
Hands sweaty after both.
Smaller than Texas,
My heart’s felt the world.
Muddied boots.
Camera shy.
Salvation floored like garlic
Or a right cross.
A change.
Revelation.
A fight:
Me versus me.
Ducking. Dodging.
Something bigger.
Better than me.
An epiphany.
Wounded hands lifted me.
A broken body
Saved me.
God could’ve crushed in ways
I pummeled opponents.
He showed
Mercy.
History, Van G. Garrett
|
Tickets, Van G. Garrett
|
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Time Brings About A Change
Van G. Garrett The leather of my skin doesn’t hold The way it use to. Insides are turned outward. Emotions bloody my sleeves. Guts, still strong, Are knotted. Bruises need more Time to heal. Busted stitches are roadmaps. The wild hog in me a distant squeal. |
Abuse
Van G. Garrett Have you ever been beaten so badly Nesting tucked inside came undone? A mound of what used to be, Heaped memories. Shredded, irreparable damage Birds wouldn’t sing. Vital organs exposed. Browned from abuse. Sliced, sometimes under flashing lights. |
Gray, Van G. Garrett
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Pair, Van G. Garrett
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Hero, Van G. Garrett
Curse the Name of Ali
Van G. Garrett
Your first time,
Gloved and ready,
Might not have gone as planned.
Awkward. Limbs wild.
Excited.
Ready to thrust
The air.
A punch landed.
On your face.
Hero-endorsed things are
Designed for power.
Your gloves, defective, didn’t work.
Tears came.
You cursed the name of Ali.
Stormed your room.
Heavy hands. Sobbing.
Thought to punch a wall.
Bare knuckles. The way
Men sat in chairs and fought.
Reconsidered. Got your gloves.
Adjusted. Bit your lip,
Threw haymakers like
Ali was in your corner
Saying how lucky you were to have
His signature, a landscape of trees,
A mountain, and a tornado, that wrapped your wrists.
Van G. Garrett
Your first time,
Gloved and ready,
Might not have gone as planned.
Awkward. Limbs wild.
Excited.
Ready to thrust
The air.
A punch landed.
On your face.
Hero-endorsed things are
Designed for power.
Your gloves, defective, didn’t work.
Tears came.
You cursed the name of Ali.
Stormed your room.
Heavy hands. Sobbing.
Thought to punch a wall.
Bare knuckles. The way
Men sat in chairs and fought.
Reconsidered. Got your gloves.
Adjusted. Bit your lip,
Threw haymakers like
Ali was in your corner
Saying how lucky you were to have
His signature, a landscape of trees,
A mountain, and a tornado, that wrapped your wrists.
Lauren Sleat
Artist Statement
My artwork falls into two main categories. In the first category I use issues of class, race, sexuality, and politics as a gateway to more specific topics such as slavery, genocide, and more broadly, deviant political ideology. Through metaphoric imagery my work serves as commentary on these issues often underscoring the negative impact they have had on our society from both a historical and contemporary perspective.
My second and central category of work is inspired by the great organic sculptures built by the elements – rain, water, wind, and fire. It also draws heavily from the natural shapes and forms we see in nature such as the shapes of river rocks worn down by waters gentle persistence, shadows cast by the moon, and the whimsical movement of nature.
I typically work in charcoal and cut paper with primarily a black and white palette. I use black and white not as a substitute for color but as an abstract way of conveying feeling while leaving space for viewer interpretation.
www.laurensleat.com
Jarrod Perez has been producing art for the last 28 years. Much of his work includes painting, illustration, vector graphics, and time-based mediums such as animation, videos, and comic books.
http://toonzday.blogspot.com/
http://toonzday.blogspot.com/
Van G. Garrett is the author of Songs in Blue Negritude (poetry) and ZURI: Selected Love Songs (poetry). He is a member of Boxing Collectors’ News, an assistant coach for the Texas Southern University Boxing Club, and a certified USA Amateur Boxing Coach.
www.vanggarrettpoet.com
www.vanggarrettpoet.com
