× 1 of 2 Expand photo courtesy Sharolyn B. Hagen Eric Inkala × 2 of 2 Expand photo by Sadie Brown Eric Inkala's solo show, “Picking Up the Pieces,” at Fort Works Art Prev Next

Through mid-October, the main gallery of Fort Works Art will be splashed with the bright and chaotic painted ramblings of a mad man. Or so it seems at first glance.

Artist Eric Inkala’s solo show, “Picking Up the Pieces,” features deceptively organized and exact large-scale acrylic paintings saturated with color, patterns, and cartoons that depict his journey through grief, catharsis, and ultimately growth.

Inkala’s particular brand of vibrant, emotional work paired with his precise technique and professionalism is why Fort Works Art owner Lauren Childs is excited to partner with him on an upcoming mural project.

“When it comes to his paintings and his murals — the control of his brush — he is masterful with the brush,” Childs says.

The gallery team and Inkala himself carefully guard the secret of its location, but Childs teased interest, confirming the mural would be on Magnolia Avenue and it would be “directly influenced by the architecture” of the building.

Originally from Minneapolis, Inkala seems reserved. His light green eyes are expressive, and his smile exposes a small gap in his otherwise straight teeth. Shorts and a short-sleeved button-down show off tattoos on his arms and legs: a dragon and a skull wearing a top hat. He usually wears a flat-brimmed cap and looks like he may have shaved five days ago.

His relationship with Fort Works Art began several years ago when he filled a spot in the all-male “9 grams” contemporary exhibition after an artist backed out in the final days before the show. Since then, Childs and Brooklyn-based Inkala have maintained a close relationship. Childs showed his work in another group exhibition in 2017.

Through it all, Inkala suffered through the loss of a close friend in a tragic accident.

“It was a very intense time in my life,” Inkala says. “I was all over the place. Nothing made sense.”

He became disillusioned with art. He describes forcing himself to create work while wondering if it was all pointless.

“That’s the tragedy, when someone has devoted their entire life to this, and they still aren’t getting any results,” Childs says about Inkala’s frustration with the art business.

Inkala’s newest body of work is representational of processing pain, memorializing the love for his friend, and finding himself again as an artist. “Picking Up the Pieces” is an evolution of artistic approach with a softened, expanded color palette, a more sophisticated use of negative space, and a journey away from the square canvas, where Inkala previously confined his work.

“This is the first exhibition where he is enjoying what is coming out of that [loss],” says gallery manager Sarah Colby.

In fact, this exhibition was created specifically with the Fort Works Art gallery space in mind. A large cutout work mounted on wood is suspended from a metal frame at the gallery’s entrance, allowing visitors to see past the painting to the rest of Inkala’s art and the people looking at it.

The artistic progressions that came out of the process were coupled with significant personal progressions too. Inkala admits it is still difficult to open up about his loss but says painting through his emotions is helping him heal.

“It made me more vulnerable and made me able to access more emotions in my work,” he says.

Inkala plans to carry over some of the composition, style, and characters of “Picking Up the Pieces” to his work on the upcoming mural that is set to start in October. Although planning is already underway, the design for the project is in flux as both Childs and Inkala say there may be plans to increase the size of the mural.

One of the leaders of Funkytown’s contemporary art movement, Childs says bringing in a visiting artist on a mural project strategically helps elevate local artists. Inkala just hopes he can bring a bit of his own color to the streets of Fort Worth.