Alex Brewer Brightens Up Buildings, Churches and Underpasses With His Abstract Murals.

Muralist Alex Brewer aka HENSE

Atlanta-based abstract artist and muralist Alex Brewer aka HENSE has been commissioned to paint everything from churches to underpasses.

Muralist Alex Brewer aka HENSE

Muralist Alex Brewer aka HENSE
Muralist Alex Brewer aka HENSE in his Atlanta studio, 2014

the following text is courtesy of the artist’s website:
The artist has been creating colorful works of art combining techniques of street art and abstract painting for nearly two decades. Growing up in an artistic household allowed him to draw inspiration from various elements of his childhood. Starting in the early ‘90s, Brewer discovered his love for creating art in the public space through graffiti. He quickly became consumed with the graffiti culture and gained notoriety for his work under the name HENSE. A mix of formal education, immersion in street art culture, and experience in professional studios have lead Brewer to establish his whimsical abstract-inspired style.

“HENSE combines the quick pace and point-of-view of street culture with tumultuous compositions often characterized by highly keyed color, vertiginous line and biomorphic shapes.” – Michael Rooks, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the High Museum of Art.

HENSE in front of a recently commissioned piece in New Jersey
HENSE in front of a recently commissioned piece in New Jersey

Brewer has always been inspired by creative expression in the public realm and feels it plays an important role in the community. His artwork combines a street culture point-of-view with abstract compositions often consisting of vibrant colors, playful lines and a wide variety of shapes. His work focuses on the relationships of shapes, forms and colors and how those elements interact with one another.

Commissioned public work for Venture Richmond and RVA Festival in Richmond, Virgina:
HENSE artwork Commissioned public work for Venture Richmond and RVA Festival in Richmond, Virgina

Hense mural

Privately commissioned public work on a historic church in South West Washington D.C.:
Privately commissioned HENSE mural on a historic church in South West Washington D.C.

Mural painted on an abandoned oyster factory in Oyster, Virgina:
Mural painted on an abandoned oyster factory in Oyster, Virgina

HENSE Mural painted on an abandoned oyster factory in Oyster, Virgina

Public work commissioned for the South Broad Mural project, funded by the city of Atlanta:
Public work commissioned for the South Broad Mural project

Public work commissioned for the South Broad Mural project

Parking garage wall installation in Detroit, MI. Commissioned and realized through Library Street Collective Gallery for Bedrock Real Estate Services. latex enamel and spray paint, 10×300 feet, Detroit, MI (Photography Sal Rodriguez):

Parking garage wall installation in Detroit, MI.

HENSE Parking garage wall installation in Detroit, MI.

parking garage mural

HENSE mural in parking garage

His largest commissioned work to date is that for the ISIL Institute in Lima.  It’s an impressive size of 137 feet tall and 170 feet wide. Organized by Morbo Gallery, 2013:

Hense mural ISIL Institute in Lima.

ISIL Institute in Lima. mural

ISIL Institute in Lima

Underpass murals were painted for The Atlanta Beltline in 2010. Latex house paint and aerosol on concrete:

underpass mural

HENSE underpass mural

city murals

Other underpass murals commissioned by the city of Atlanta in 2012:
underpass murals commissioned by the city of Atlanta

muralist HENSE underpass murals commissioned by the city of Atlanta

Mural at Art Basel Miami, Florida, 2010:
Mural at Art Basel Miami, Florida, 2010

hense Mural at Art Basel Miami, Florida, 2010

A mural in Columbus, Georgia:
HENSE mural in Columbus, Georgia

mural in Columbus, Georgia by artist HENSE

Full building mural for the new Fay Gold Gallery and Westside cultural Arts Center in Atlanta. Georgia:
Fay Gold Gallery and Westside cultural Arts Center in Atlanta. Georgia

Fay Gold Gallery and Westside cultural Arts Center mural

Many of his tools remain consistent with those used by graffiti artists, such as rollers, spray paints and house paints. Brewer pushes himself to explore new concepts during the course of creating artwork. The freedom to re-paint and add layers during the progress of a project leaves room for experimentation and discovery. Brewer continues to explore new avenues of his artwork and looks forward to wherever his next projects will take him.

He has an upcoming solo exhibition at the Reynolds Gallery.
HENSE: Drawings, Paintings and Shapes
Reynolds Gallery
July 10th -August 29th 2014
Richmond, Virginia

all images © and courtesy of the artist

HENSE