"Put white paper in front of me and I can't…I'll just stare at it. But that definitely has the character already, y'know…it's naturally there. That helps with when I'm painting."
-Rich Cali

Rich Cali is a wearer of many hats…artist, one of the founders of Common House in Austin (a group of artists who share a house of studios and gallery space), musician, bartender, husband, friend, and general good timer.

In the almost typographic boldness of his work, there is something iconic, perhaps atavistic—a resemblance to traditional Japanese block prints, or hewn American folk art, or possibly even vintage tattoos. This continuity with the past is heightened by Rich’s use of antique paper recovered from old books. The resulting effect, of stark black on mellowed sepia, sends a compelling visual message. One of timelessness, but also one of the inevitability of change. The form persists while the medium fades.