Rapheal Crump — Artsy Scoop

I first saw Rapheal Crump’s work at an art pop up in Dallas last year. I remember seeing several images of sneakers dangling on power lines and I found the pieces striking, so when I walked into Pencil on Paper Gallery in Dallas, I was immediately excited to see his work again!

The downstairs gallery has around 20 pieces on display for his “Above Us” solo exhibition. The images’ themes cover a range of subjects, from cityscapes to transportation to birds (sometimes all together), all inspired by Rapheal’s birthplace of New York.

In particular, there is a heavy dose of traffic lights in this collection so ask him about this and he says, “What do stoplights do for people? They tell you to stop, take a moment and slow down and think about things. Then they tell us when to start going and to start moving forward.” The perspective of his paintings is also unique; it’s as if you’re always looking up at these captured moments.

Midway into our conversation, a guest at the show comes up to Rapheal, telling the artist that after viewing his large, blue-hued piece that prominently features a street light, he determined that ‘It would be amazing to install this above my bed!’ Crump’s immediate reaction was priceless. “That’s crazy. When I was painting that, I thought that it would be really cool for it to be seen flat on the ceiling.” I was more than a little taken aback as well. I mean…to hear an onlooker immediately connect with the piece and suggest installing it as the artist originally intended was a really special moment to witness.

Rapheal talks about the importance of truly experiencing the beauty around you and how it’s important to look up every now and again to take in the moment. There are so many things that we don’t usually pay attention to, and these pieces serve as both a reminder and encouragement to take in the beauty of objects around you.

The artist says he is on a journey and wants to connect with other people along the way. His ultimate goal is to be an art teacher so he can give back to the next generation and teach them what he has learned. In fact, Rapheal will be teaching at a retreat in Austin on March 26th. He’s clearly looking forward to it, and is genuinely excited to connect with people that are interested in creating art of their own.

THE ART OF FLIGHT - 24" x 24", oil on canvas

As I look around the gallery space and see all the people gazing at his artwork and engaging in conversation, I remind him to try and enjoy himself too. He tells me that another artist friend, Nikolas Gaines (who is showing a curated collection upstairs), has a theme that revolves around self care and remembering to pause and take it all in.

Crump admits that he’s always “thinking ahead to what’s next.” Despite the themes in his own work, he acknowledges that he doesn’t always enjoy the moment and then several weeks later he reflects back and realizes, “Oh! That was actually fun!”

His thoughts about the appreciation of time seem to have come up more since the Covid-19 lockdown, and it’s true that we’ve all heard more references to appreciating every moment recently. Like Rapheal, I hope these conversations continue happening, because we all need to experience joy and keep our eyes and hearts open to the beauty that surrounds us.

As I head towards the door, I see the gallery’s co-owner, Dr. Valerie Gillespie, putting a few red dots next to some of Rapheal’s work, and I instantly felt proud for him, and grateful for his contribution to our world. I look over to see if Rapheal noticed the new dots adorning the wall, too, and he gives me a subtle, humble smile.