Photo by Nicole Roegner Joerael Elliott’s mural near 15th Avenue and Camelback Road looks at American Indian issues.

ARTIST OF THE MONTH

Joerael Elliott’s art spills across canvases Valleywide, adorning brick walls of local businesses and home mantels of art lovers alike. It’s precise but sweeping. Orderly but dystopian. Bright but monochromatic. And it’s all over the place – literally.

Elliott, 30, pulls from his street art roots to fashion elegant multimedia pieces bursting with complexity. His work ranges from large-scale murals to live painting to latte art.

The Phoenix resident describes himself as a narrative artist who tells “fractured parables and fables.” Dozens of images dance across each mural, flowing in every color. Though initially the scenes appear chaotic, the individualized progression quickly becomes apparent. “We think in mosaics because we’re non-linear thinkers,” he says. “To compose a picture is aesthetically pleasing in a traditional and classical sense, but the contemporary narrative is more fractured.”

Much of his imagery references his experiences growing up in the Southwest and explores issues in immigration, women’s rights and American Indian rights. Displaying it on businesses and public property is the perfect medium to convey these messages, he says. Also, as art director of the women’s rights group Las Otras Hermanas, Elliott routinely goes to Juarez, Mexico, to volunteer and create public art.

His murals can be seen in Phoenix at Al Moro Dance Studio (806 E. Camelback Road), Way Cool Hair Pollution (1524 E. McDowell Road), The Caravan (4835 N. 15th Ave.), and in local exhibitions.