I am he as you are he and we are all together. The Beatles

What About Me?

Bio of the Artist

Burnell Yow! (the exclamation point is part of the name) is an intuitive artist who works in the varied media of painting, collage, assemblage, sculpture, digital art and photography.

Since 1995, he has maintained a full-time studio called Raven’s Wing, which is currently located in the Fitler Square area of Philadelphia. Yow! is a member of the Philadelphia Dumpster Divers and a participant in the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours (POST), an annual event in which over 350 artists open their studios to the public for two weekends in October.

The printed word on this unique and multi-talented artist has appeared in 500 Cabinets, Direct Art, American Style Magazine, Red Herring, Art Matters, Andre Codrescu’s Exquitsite Corpse Journal, Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday Magazine, Synapse, City Paper, Eye Level, and in Philadelphia Magazine (where he was named one of the twenty-five “hippest” people in Philadelphia).

His work is shown in numerous venues and is viewable on the web at: www.ravenswinsgstudio.com

Artist Statement

After nearly sixty years of sometimes following rules and sometimes ignoring them, I have come to the realization that there are no rules, only materials. Art is, when all is said and done, a leap into the dark.

I am an intuitive artist in that I work from the heart, not the head. The unforseen event, the “accident,” the unexpected all play a very large part in my creative play. Seldom is anything planned. I prefer to let the materials suggest the direction of a work.

As far as materials go, I work with just about anything: paint, wood, glass, plastic, fabric, etc. I use a lot of “found” objects in my work: discarded items rescued from the trash, or found at flea markets or thrift stores. They are old, used and with a history that’s a mystery, which lends them a magical quality.

So, what I would suggest to anyone making art is to trust your intuition, your inner knowing; to allow yourself to be immersed in the process of creation as a joyous and sacred dance of materials; to neither listen to critics nor be one; and finally, to leap into the dark secure in the knowing that wherever your feet touch down will be the right place at the right time.

Burnell Yow!

Raven’s Wing Studio 2301 Naudain Street Philadelphia, PA 19146 267.908.2668