2016 Paintings
This group of paintings was done in tandem with the work that was ultimately installed in Bustling Side Street at Rope Gallery. These paintings are stages, each mark and character is a player in the production. The shapes that frame or cuts the action in some of the works, ( Broken Piece, Lips Bubbles, Bug, and Palette ) is based on the shapes that are sometimes fancied by framers for complex compositions. A grouping of family photos, an assortment of travel tokens, a graduation cap next to a degree can all be found organized into overburdened bubbles of space. Working as a framer for a year, I fit many such mementos into these puzzles, and found them to be humorously ironic. As if a gold leaf or hand stained wood frame was not sufficient, an extra mat board or three is meticulously sliced for the re-framing of the chosen objects. I wanted to work with this idea in paintings, and emphasize the flatness of the canvas by centering the image and reestablishing the boundaries in which the image is concocted. The imagery chosen to play with in these paintings all relate to emotional expressions: whimsical eyes, stylized lips, and carefree bubbles all float about the plane. The only work in this group with no posing expression is the "broken" one. The bubbles were chosen because they, through disobeying the holes "cut" into the shape of the plane for them to fit into by floating past them, they affirm the absurdity of the awkward mat in the first place. Like all of my work, these pieces exist in the heady history of painting through their medium, but are concerned with the aesthetic principles and tactics of "low-art" forms, such as scrapbook style framing in this case, as well as decor from chain home stores, murals found in schools and churches, and brand and logo knock offs.
Red Blob, Bubbles at Rope GalleryRed Blob, Bubbles 2016 24”x36” Oil and grout mix on canvas Installation shot from Bustling Side Street at Rope Gallery
Collapsed Lips at Rope GalleryCollapsed Lips 2016 24”x30” Spray paint and oil on wood panel Installed in Bustling Side Street at Rope Gallery
Collapsed Lips at Rope GalleryCollapsed Lips 2016 24”x30” Spray paint and oil on wood panel Installed at Rope Gallery
Clock Wall at Rope GalleryClock Wall 2016 4’x6’ Oil, grout mix, joint compound, and sand on canvas Installed at Rope Gallery
Clock Wall at Rope GalleryClock Wall 2016 4’x6’ Oil, grout mix, joint compound, and sand on canvas Installed at Rope Gallery
Red Blob, Bubbles at Rope GalleryRed Blob, Bubbles 2016 24”x36” Oil and grout mix on canvas Installed at Rope Gallery
Staged Expressions at Rope GalleryStaged Expressions 2016 48”x50” Oil on canvas Installed at Rope Gallery
Staged Expressions at Rope GalleryStaged Expressions 2016 48”x50” Oil on canvas
