I sat down at the table nestled against the window, where Harry Foreman was sipping on a cold brew. Under the name "Akyros" (Greek form: άκυρος, which means to "cancel"), he had hosted a printing show directly behind this table at Vespr Craft Coffee.
Looking at Harry, you wouldn't necessarily take him for the stereotypical artist. He wasn't dressed in wild colors or all black (which seem to be the two perceived depictions of the of artists, oddly at the far opposing ends of a spectrum). He's a relaxed guy that wears tanks and gym shorts. Nothing particularly different about him, outwardly, at least.
Harry Foreman was in a math class when his teacher would give him colored pencils, who knew fully well that Harry wouldn't pay attention in class. This trend of doodling in class would stick with him through the rest of high school and into his freshmen year of college at St. Michael's College in Vermont. Harry would spend time majoring in psychology, not focusing on art in a professional sense. He took one drawing class and decided that St. Michael's wasn't for him. He went back home.
He drew all the time, all sorts of pieces, slowly developing a portfolio. He eventually created a piece called Beautiful Disaster. As he sat back, admiring his work, he realized that this is what he had to do. To surpass each piece he did with something even better, more creative.
By fate or happenstance, Harry found himself in an art gallery while vacationing in Colorado with his family. As he was "chatting up" one of the young women that worked at the gallery, he mentioned that he was an artist. The owner of the gallery made herself present and Harry made his sketchbook equally present, showing her his work.
The owner found a piece that had astonished her. It was a simple scribble that said "Just give it to me," over the scribble. Harry considered this piece insignificant in contrast to the portraits and other works he spent more time on, but the gallery owner couldn't get over this particular doodle. She mentioned a man who was also using a ballpoint pen as his preferred medium, his name is Il Lee.
Harry drew much inspiration from Il Lee, and went on to use ballpoint pens almost exclusively, comparing it to life, saying "Whatever you mark up, you can't take back." His work became divided into two forms; realistic and chaotic, yet he did not lose his unique style.
He told me he if he could only commit to one form of art for the rest of his life, it would be portraits. "Being able to capture the energy of someone is just so precious to me, there are so many beautiful people. I can't just not want to capture the captivating features of someone." The portraits are realistic and truly "capture" the essence of a person.
"Abstraction is just this accident you can stumble upon through the process," he told me. Harry was initially inspired by abstract art and appreciates the free form nature of it. He feels at liberty to move in whatever direction his creativity pushes him. Akyros is abstract in concept and practice.
As a creator, Harry is moving towards a chaotic and hungry ambition of self-betterment. Whether that is as an artist, with unplanned movement and controlled chaos, or as a designer, with minimalist simplicity. He just wants to do better. For this reason, he is changing from the "Whoopsie Daisy," which has been the logo of Akyros for a number of years, to "Horus," named after the Egyptian god of the sky and kingship, which he feels better embodies his desire to be an "ambitious go-getter." Whatever his logo is, whether he is creating as an artist or a designer, he just wants to let people know that there is a "glory in creativity."
So why does this matter to anyone? What is Akyros' significance in the greater scope of Orlando?
Harry puts on interactive art shows and I got to attend one on Valentine's day. There were seventy people in Vespr Craft Coffee to screen print with Akyros. There was a press with three designs and anyone could give one of the baristas ten dollars and get any drink (but not a cocktail) and a stamp on their hand. They would then show Harry the stamp to prove they were interested in creating and he would guide them through the process, all the meanwhile, Jared Bakst of Casaveda was playing solo. "People experiencing nightlife in a fun, creative way is a hell of a lot better than blowing fifty to one hundred dollars on alcohol," Harry had said.
Whether he knew it or not, Harry was cultivating ground for many people to help them grow in creativity. He considers himself just a team player in the creative game of Orlando. He gives people the opportunity to experience art in a way that they might not have before. He elevates one's own personal creativity to allow them to go and create beautiful things in the City Beautiful.
"I guess what I want to contribute to Orlando, is to unite the people."
With his shows and his personal interactions, Harry unites the people of Orlando behind the glory in creativity. His art shows bring forth a cooperative creation and a community, all in an unconventional way. Maybe they will be an agent for the type of ignition of creativity that Harry experienced in an art gallery in Colorado.
If you're interested in being a part of this communal creativity, there is an Akyros Print Show at ten10 Brewery on St. Patrick's Day (March 17). Ten dollars will get you a drink and a print.
Artist website: akyros.co
