—  About

John Dempsey is an artists in Chicago, so is my alias Billy Tokyo

In my paintings, I explore a conceptual approach that moves freely between abstraction and graffiti typography. My works celebrates the urban art we see around us every day that may go unnoticed. I’ve always been in love with “the line” - in urban art, it weaves in and out, darts back and forth, and the unexpected twists and turns you won’t find anywhere else. My newest works often incorporate spray paint (sprayed through hand-cut stencils) to create colored geometric shapes, and shapes based on the silhouettes of graffiti lettering. This process is at times mixed with a deluge of layering processes of intuitive mark-making created with acrylic and oil paint to create images that vibrate with unabashed energy. These are fluid paintings that are chaotic yet balanced - grasping influences of organic shapes and urban art.

Studying the line movements of "tags" and graffiti lettering led me to experiment in my artistic practice and to create works that speak of a current dialogue on the reach of modernist painterly practice. The most elemental aspects of my abstractions are dependent on evincing the feeling of urbanism, controlled chaos, and free-flowing grace - giving the viewer a sense of seeing a moment of something beautiful in mid-creation.

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Born in Evanston, Illinois, and raised in the Chicago area. I received an art scholarship by the Woman’s Club of Evanston and attended Ohio University where I studied art under Aethelred Eldridge. My painting "The Great American Landscape" won first place in Chicago's Art Loop Open - the city's first public voting contest, and a giant check that made me feel like a golf pro. Thanks Chicago! CV upon request. 

As Billy Tokyo…

With my figurative work, I paint under the name Billy Tokyo. I strive to blur the lines between Eastern and Western art, merging styles to create richly imaginative worlds. That's why I chose the distinctly American name 'Billy' alongside the quintessentially Japanese name 'Tokyo.' Heavily influenced by Japanese Pop Art and the Chicago Imagists - my Mr. Tokyo uses vivid, flat colors and simplified figures with a sense of humor and social commentary.

Pictorial imaginative works are often packed with information to approach an exuberant visual overload to stimulate the viewer. Characters are often made out of geometric shapes for a diverse approach to the figure and are sometimes created using hand-cut stencils and spray paint. Visual languages are borrowed from other cultures and art, high and low, past and present. My goal is to create a dialogue between the artwork and the audience with an art style uniquely visually impactful and universal.
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Check out the recent article about my artwork (and Billy Tokyo's) in The Common Reader by the talented writer John Griswold.

Both artists share a studio at:

355 North Laflin Street, Chicago, IL 60607

located in the Fulton Market district

—  Follow

John Dempsey Instagram

Billy Tokyo Instagram