Collaborating for the first time

Though they’ve been working in Boston together for at least two decades and exhibited in group shows together, this is Goodnight and Pierces’s first time collaborating on a mural. The two met first when Goodnight visited an exhibition Piece held in the Piano Craft Gallery, the gallery associated with the Piano Craft Building, a converted piano factory once home to many artists where Goodnight still keeps a studio. The two struck up a friendship with Goodnight sharing painting techniques and Piece providing “out-of-the-box” ideas. The two continue to share influences and inspiration — from music videos to painting DVDs — and are concurrently planning a collaborative project with other Boston artists that supports Black youth.

Paul Goodnight

Artist Paul Goodnight was born in Chicago on December 31, 1946. At a young age, his mother took him to New London, Connecticut, and later to Boston, where a foster family raised him. After finishing high school, Goodnight was drafted into the Army, and served two years in Vietnam. The experience changed him and upon his return, he was unable to speak because of the horrors he witnessed there. Soon after, Goodnight began to paint, reverting to the means of expression he had employed as a child.

Finding release in his art, Goodnight regained his voice and enrolled in the Vesper George School of Art, taking English classes at a nearby community college to help him along the way. In 1976, he earned his B.A. from the Massachusetts College of Art. Goodnight continued to create, and in 1984 one of his works was displayed on an episode of “The Cosby Show.” Since then, his works have been featured in such programs as “Seinfeld,” “ER,” and “Living Single.” Goodnight then began traveling the world, studying the art of the Caribbean, Africa, Russia, and Asia, as well as working under contemporary masters such as Alan Crite and John Biggers.

(source: https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/paul-d-goodnight-39)

Larry Pierce

Larry Pierce was born in the Bronx, New York on February 9, 1949. After graduating from the High School of Art and Design, he did a brief stint in the Navy and was honorably discharged in 1969 as a Photographer’s Mate. He began formal studies at the School of Visual Arts in NY and was graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (BFA). He taught Head Start and EHS preschool children at the Dimock Center (Roxbury, MA), for eight years, taught art at the Smart Kids after-school program, and wrote the curriculum for the children’s arts program, “Art for Life”.

(source: https://cacpartmobile.tumblr.com/post/150129201761/paintbox-artist-larry-pierce)

PURCHASE THE PRINT

You can purchase a limited edition print (200 pcs) of Paul Goodnight and Larry Pierce’s mural, “No Strings Detached” directly through Color Circle Art. The artists receive 100% of the proceeds.

For information on purchasing, call 617-437-1260 and leave a message. The office is open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.