Wuz Good My Peepo?,
Those of you who know me, know that I’m a big Hip-Hop Head and I’ve made a bunch of music with my brother, “V!RTU” (Cheston Dooley). As we are maturing we are beginning to explore some of our other interests. My brother has always shown a propensity towards art, but he has come to a point where he would like to pursue it more seriously. With that said, I would like to introduce you to his debut canvas series entitled, “Exquisite Ghettos”. This series is intended to glorify the “Golden Era of Hip-Hop”. For those of you who are not familiar with that phrase, it is from the late 80’s to the mid 90’s (when all our Hip-Hop greats were alive and active).
If you haven’t noticed, in today’s television shows, commercials and even movies, there has a resurgence of Hip-Hop music from the Golden Era. We believe this is because the children of that era have come of age. We are now in positions of power and influence and like to hear the music that we grew up with. Since those are the sounds and sights that are familiar to us, we also want to surround ourselves with artwork that reminds us of that era as well; but something with a “fine art” kind of touch to it. With the “Exquisite Ghettos” series, Cheston believes he has filled that niche. The entire series (when complete) will be somewhere between 18 and 20 pieces. At the moment he is currently working on #13.
Cheston has already begun to catch the eye of a few art galleries with an eye for talent and uniqueness. He has a piece entitled “King Cassette” which will be on display at the Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, North Carolina until July 2018. He has been selected for a 10 day ‘Pop-Up Residency” at the prestigious Greenhill Gallery in Greensboro, North Carolina starting 10/25/17 and going until 11/3/17. There, he will be displaying the bulk of his series and painting on site, while interacting with gallery visitors.
Although Cheston has only begun to paint on canvas within the last couple years, he has a wealth of experience and talent already to his credit. While he was putting his “Shoe-In” project together in 2008, he painted numerous pairs of shoes for other musicians as payment for their collaborations. Cheston has drawn photographic quality portraits for years, and created family heirlooms for those lucky enough to purchase some of his graphite and colored pencil drawings. Expect great things from Cheston as he continues his journey of exploring his natural talents and providing 1 of a kind masterpieces for the world to enjoy. Cheston invites you to follow him on Instagram and check out some of the great drawings, tattoo designs, shoe-art, and canvases that he has already created. Congratulations , and we are wishing you continued success as you continue your artistic endeavors.
Instagram: virtu1
Peace, Love, and Soul
The Hood Nurse! 
