Mar 28, 2014 2 min read fort greene

Remix: Clinton Hill Meets Harlem in Art Exhibit

Byron McCray depicts subway artists he sees on his morning commute from Brooklyn to Harlem. This piece, called "Showtime," is just one part of his show "Remix," currently featured at the Harlem School of the Arts. (Photo courtesy of Byron McCray) — Byron McCray depicts subway artists he sees on his morning commute from Brooklyn to Harlem. This piece, called “Showtime,” is just one part of his show “Remix,” currently featured at the Harlem School of the Arts. (Photo courtesy of Byron McCray)

For Bryon McCray, there’s no place like Brooklyn.

That’s where the 29-year-old artist began a career of creating – starting with drawing when he was just 4 years old.

McCray would compete with his brother, who is three years older, and tried to draw Mickey Mouse better than him.

“The best way to keep me quiet was to give me a pencil and paper,” McCray said. “There was a passion there. I couldn’t stop doing it.”

McCray has since grown from his childhood years taking Saturday art classes at Pratt Institute and has graduated into debuting his art at a show entitled “Remix,” happening at the Harlem School of the Arts.

The Fashion Institute of Technology graduate was inspired to create work that shows people his daily life. McCray makes the daily trek from Clinton Hill to Harlem, where he teaches at the school of the arts, and “Remix” is meant to convey the differing worlds between the boroughs and how they play into who he is as a person. He has pride in his hometown of Brooklyn, but Harlem’s rich history has also shaped him over the past six years.

“Harlem carries the same pride of Brooklyn, in a different way,” McCray said. “I thought that there’s this separation of my daily life and when I go home.”

“Remix” follows his train commute – depicting the different sights and sounds McCray sees. He’s created pieces that show subway performance artists, people who are generally ignored during a morning commute, and he’s depicted scenes reminiscent of Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” that remind him of his Clinton Hill home. He’s painted portraits of those who’ve left the boroughs for bigger things, and he’s painted the quiet celebrities he sees on a daily basis.

“If you can get credit at home, you can make it anywhere,” McCray said.

McCray’s even sold pieces to fellow Brooklynites Spike Lee and Jay-Z.

Each piece is a “single,” part of the larger album and discography he calls his body of work – a testament to how much music inspires each brushstroke he makes. And “Remix” is just his latest mixtape, he said.

“Music was one of the best friends I didn’t realize I had,” McCray said. “Those are my stories – how I learned what was going on in the world.”

“Remix” runs at the Harlem School of the Arts, located at 645 St. Nicholas Avenue in Manhattan, until April 26. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. On April 26, McCray is giving a free artist talk at the school at 3 p.m. as a way to reach out to young, aspiring artists.