White Whale Craft Ales has hosted various different forms of art and artist over the years. Right now, Najeed has a show up there. There will be a closing reception for his exhibit “Crownz & Freeform” on Fri., Feb. 18 at 6 pm.

Najeed considers himself a self-taught artist because he had no formal training but learned the craft over the years. Despite not creating any art from 1998 to 2018, Najeed has not missed a beat since having his first exhibition at White Whale Craft Ales in 2019.

“In my mind, I never stopped creating. I’m not trying to play catch up, but I feel I have 20 years of stuff I need to get out on this new art journey,” said Najeed.

Now he returns with his second art show “Crownz & Freeform” which is on display now. His work is bold and the texture of the material makes some of his work appears as if it pops off the canvas. Najeed usually works with acrylic but he also has some ink work, and graphite work.

“Acrylic is really easy to work with outside of the drying time if you do a lot of blending, but if not, if you like to move right to the next step, acrylic is one of the best choices, and it’s flexible, it breathes. I think it’s a good medium, so that’s where I am right now,” he said.

He also likes using the tool the pallete knife for many of his creations. Najeed learned about this tool from his father who was a carpenter. He and his brothers learned the trade from their father.

“Using the pallete knife felt natural and has made my work more refined,” said Najeed. “I literally like what the pallete knife feels like through the paint. When it meets resistance on the canvas, I’ll change direction.  Basically, I let the canvas paint itself.”

The owners of White Whale Craft Ales Jason and Jocelyn Piccolo are into the arts and are proud to showcase various artist in their shop and encourage local foot traffic. They want this place to be a hangout spot for the community.

“We welcome our pal NaJeed back to the Whale. He’s local and his bold style is bright and emotive. His last show nearly sold out on the opening night if I recall correctly. Also, he’s a stellar human, so drop in and meet our friend,” White Whale Craft Ales said in a post on their Facebook page.

“I love their spot. Jason and Jocelyn are amazing. They are art professionals in the city and Jason has mentioned to me he could see a difference between my work in 2019 and now. He said it’s like I am going through an evolution,” said Najeed.

Najeed creates pieces based on how he feels or interactions he has had instead of planning a piece. The one piece he does have that was planned in a direct relation to something was a piece he titled “Welcome to America” that he created after the killing of George Floyd.

Even the way his show is displayed in White Whale Craft Ales was done by Najeed. He credits what he learned from doing carpentry with his father to be able to see his vision and mount his own paintings on the wall. The exhibit is up until the closing reception on Feb. 18. 

Find out more at najeedart.com White Whale Craft Ales is located on Bull St., just south of Forsyth Park.

This article appears in Feb 16-22, 2022.