“It’s always the little things that can either keep us going towards our dreams or hold us back from being our true self,” said George F. Baker III, a local artist who also goes by GFB3. Born in Nebraska and raised primarily in Detroit, Baker is an artist and illustrator who now calls Atlanta home. Known for his colorful illustrations, designs, and paintings, Baker’s works convey a playful and child-like joy for life.
To me, Baker’s stylistic approach to bubble letters for text and his bold, colorful compositions feel at once fresh and reminiscent of days gone by. He cites Adult Swim, Nickelodeon, Toonami, and Cartoon Network as being major sources of inspiration. That’s in addition to his undying love for street wear.
Brands that gained popularity in the early 2000s such as The Hundreds, Huff, Crooks & Castles, and Perks & Mini are some of Baker’s favorites to this day. Following some disheartening interactions with art teachers when he was a kid, his discovery of artists Keith Haring, Piet Parra, and KAWS opened his eyes to the possibility that he could build a career making the kind of graphic art that he gravitated toward.
As we sat together in his home studio, Baker leaned in and added lettering to a piece with the kind of precision and confidence that comes from years of practice. Surrounding him were numerous cans of spray paint, tubes of paint, markers, brushes, and stacks upon stacks of books. Among them are a decade’s worth of All Gone, an annual street culture book, which he began collecting in 2013. He is also interested in personal development, a fact which is evidenced by the self help books found within the mix.
“I want to learn how I can become a better person and hopefully I can make that perfect message that finds someone at their lowest moment and pulls them through,” said Baker.
Baker uses his artwork and the words therein to tap into an understanding of self and the connection to personal histories. The way a lifetime of experiences combine to make up a person’s overall life is what he hopes to embody with Little Reminders. Pulling from a place that lies “between the constant struggle to collect pieces that remind us of who we are and to let loose those that don’t,” he seeks to create reminders of memories that become part of the tapestry of one’s life, for better or for worse.
“A lot of these sayings are things that I’ve heard in the past,” Baker explained as he gestured at a piece propped against a nearby wall. “One of my main tenets is that I’m going to talk to the oldest person in the coffee shop,” he said with a laugh. Whether sharing wisdom or something completely off the wall, he values interactions with the older folks and is always game to hear what they’ve got to say.
According to him, one of his greatest skills is being able to connect with people. “I love people,” he said with enthusiasm.
Though Baker’s personality is undeniably magnetic, with a warm smile and an easy confidence that radiates through even the most minor interaction, he says he doesn’t consider himself to be a positive person. Instead, he feels that he’s “real,” and he isn’t shy about admitting that much of the positivity in his artwork has been informed by the hard times and traumas he has experienced.
“A lot of my work is acknowledging that there are tough times that you go through. Let’s see what you can learn from those dark moments and bring them into positive steps to move forward,” said Baker. “I’m trying to do good, honest, emotional work. A lot of my work is informed by me trying to improve some of the things I’ve gone through, or trying to understand why I feel the way that I do.”
Following the divorce of his parents, as a young kid Baker moved first to Detroit, then to Hilton Head, SC, and on to Atlanta in 2003. “I’ve been here for 20 years, I absolutely love this place,” said Baker. “I can wax poetic all day long about Atlanta and what I love about Atlanta. As it ties into my art, it’s so interesting but the movement, the people… the main thing that lifts you up and keeps you here is the community. Everybody knows everybody here. It has been the main thing that has made me who I am as an artist.”
Baker went to Georgia State University where he pursued graphic design with the idea that he would go into street wear design. In recent years, his work has evolved to incorporate more large-scale murals, digital illustration, and apparel. On his CV are some partnerships with huge organizations that have helped to put his work on the map.
“I’ve worked with Target, Warby Parker, Adidas – which was a dream to me because I’m a huge sneaker head – and Adobe. And now I’ve been getting into doing more speaking gigs,” said Baker. “I guess it’s motivational. I get the opportunity to talk a little more about the creative experience and how I envision the creative process.”
For the Little Reminders exhibition at Cat Eye Creative, Baker’s first ever solo show, he has enjoyed delving into smaller canvas works as a deviation from his traditionally massive murals. In addition to hanging artworks, he will also have an interactive installation where visitors can record their own “little reminders” plus printed shirts, stickers, merch, and even a 3D version of one of his illustrations on display.
Little Reminders will open at Cat Eye Creative on Fri., Nov. 3 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.