Going home one night, I drove under a yellow light. And, as I usually do, I put my hand to my lips, kissed my fingers, and then put my fingers to the ceiling of my car. I can't remember where I picked up this habit, but I've been doing this for good luck ever since I've been driving. As I performed the ritual, it struck me as to how odd it was, and I couldn't help but wonder why I was doing it.

This got me to thinking about my mother, who undoubtedly influenced me with her extremely superstitious nature, and the other people that I know who overcome hardships or the unknown with curious beliefs. That thinking expanded into investigating psychological reasoning, the various theories behind anxiety relief, and the psychosomatic effects of superstitious behavior. But, ultimately, the research uncovered some really interesting superstitions that forged images in my head. Materially capturing the images then became exercises, opportunities for me to strengthen my artistic foothold.

"Knock on Wood" explores superstitions, charms, and talismans. Drawings and paintings, inspired by beliefs from around the world, catalogue various actions, thoughts, and objects that attempt to relieve fear and uncertainty.

The opening reception will be on September 11th, 7 to 10pm, at Young Blood Gallery, the foremost independent showcase in Atlanta.

My brothers-in-arms, Modern Skirts, will be giving a very special and free performance. Trust me, they are homegrown, bona fide rockstars. Ask them about opening for R.E.M.

The soundtrack for the gallery viewing will be provided by my friend Alex Goose, who produced The Blueprint 3 Outtakes (music created for Jay-Z).

A special project with my long-time buddy Tim Haught and his StreetLocal folks, one of Atlanta's highly respected brands, will be released that night.

Sweet, frozen goodness will be served by The King of Pops.

And, if you're hip to the hop, an official Atlanta Tumblr Meetup has been set up for the reception.

The promotional video goodness below was created by my-sister-from-a-different-mister, Dehanza Rogers, aka her celluloid self. When she's not being Documentary Filmmaker Champ, you can find her in UCLA's über-elite MFA Film Program.

If you would like to see sneak-peeks and process shots of the show, please visit my blog.
Additional information about me can be found here.