Fary Charles emerged from financial hardship with his first big solo show, “It’s Yours” at The Tampa Edition last November, for which he created some of his largest pieces. His motivation: a mixture of rage, disappointment, and a desire to prove himself.
Charles had just lost his job at a local art supply store and had gone four months without making more than $200 from his tattoo job when he met with the show’s curator, Tobin Green, in his beautiful home to brainstorm a title for the show.
“It’s Yours” expresses Charles’ simple desire to create paintings for others to buy and take home with them.
“I don’t want to leave with these paintings,” he says. “You know what I mean? I want somebody to have them.”
Several of the pieces sold, and Charles is grateful for Green’s hand in helping make it all happen. Green (of AADMIXX studio) curates single-evening pop-up art exhibitions on the rooftop of The Tampa Edition twice a year.
Charles’ next stop: the Black Arts Gala at the Straz. At the time of our interview, he was getting ready to paint something fresh for the Jan. 18 event, an annual celebration of Black excellence in art and culture organized by The Black Art Gala Foundation and Greenbook of Tampa Bay, Inc., in partnership with 101.5 The Vibe, Symphonic Distribution, Tampa Edition, the Barrymore Hotel and Crown Royal.
What’s he planning for the rest of 2026? A little bit of everything. Documenting (he’s on YouTube @junkyardjydk), dropping a lot of music, making his own album covers, trying out color tattoos, exploring his Haitian heritage, continuing to give back to the Black community through Youth Concept Gallery, and finding more ways to connect his music with his art.
“Every piece I’ve ever made, I’ve made music while I’ve done it—I wrote a lyric, I came up with something.”
There’s a lyric for everything Charles’ paints. One day, he hopes to bring the lyrics and paintings together in a book.
If his music career blasts off, he’d use the money to open a gallery and then host his listening parties there.
“I combine and galvanize these things so people can look at my lyrics,” Charles told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “I need both [art and music]. Both are always going on.”
SPRING ARTS 2026
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This article appears in Jan. 29 – Feb. 04.