LAMPSHADE-HEAD SERIES
THE PAINTINGS:
Recline
Oil paint on top of house paint, colored inks, and miscellaneous paint markers. 36”x24”
Spring 2016
Whorl
Oil paint on top of house paint, colored inks, and highlighters. 36”x24”
Spring 2016
Cocoon
Oil paint on top of house paint, colored inks, and highlighters. 24”x36”
Spring 2016
The lampshade-head series captures individuals in their personal creative spaces; moments of immersion when visual and auditory stimuli intermingle. Cloths and draperies retain their connection to traditional portraiture but also become visual manifestations of each artist’s internal state emanating into their surroundings. In this way, each piece is a collaboration between artists. The tension between depicting physical aspects of environments and visualizing each artist’s energy is expressed through a careful balance of technical realism and loose, expressive under-painting.
The visual trope of a lampshade over the head serves two functions – it denies traditional conventions of portraiture and is a signifier of the subject’s creative space. Lampshades worn over the head often mean a party has gotten out of control. The lampshades are a tongue-in-cheek pop culture reference placed in juxtaposition with the introspective nature of the content. Wild parties are also often fueled by intense sensory experience and a sense of liminal timelessness; in a similar way, the series reflects the irrational and sometimes chaotic creativity that allows artists to become immersed in their work.
THE SCREENPRINTS:
The screen prints function as a sketchbook that explores different color schemes and the results of overlapping applications of color layers. They were created as an exploration of the musical flow and chronological aspects of a larger visual “song” made up of sequential visual color segments.
THE STREET ART:
