2022 – 24×24
Glue, Paper, Oil Sticks
Continuing to explore this medium, adding bright colors to break through the mosaic pattern and play a part in the composition.
I don’t consciously create artwork to tell a story, but rather try to connect to the story of others. Each pop culture pun, and dead-pan dessert attempts to humorously connect with that universal experience of adolescence. I would like my work to be an inside joke, and everyone’s in on it.
In many works, I collage my cast of characters in different scenarios while thinking about complementary shapes and colors. The relationship between the characters are open to interpretation and have endless potential narratives. I love to give the viewer a chance to be a storyteller when they see my work. Artist’s stories stem from many places, sometimes the origins are deeply personal, other times they may be a reaction to world events or simply a humorous observation.
This was a wonderful experiment in allowing the background interact with each square collage image. I painted a bright, fluro orange background, (the base panel) and by design, introduced more open spaces in between the squares to bring in the active tension of the background to interact with the main composition. I found this to be an interesting and in my opinion, a successful application. I love the bright colors that move across the piece and working in tandem with the bold, color accents of the oil sticks too.The portrait is uniquely simple, but there is so much going on within the collage and if you look at the pieces over time, you may also begin to see the story that is presented. While your story may be slightly different than mine, it is still there to enjoy and if you don’t choose to dig deeper, it is still a very enjoyable color study.
However, no matter what the inspiration, when shared, these stories not only add to the rich narrative tapestry of my work, but into the big wide world. So, stay awesome and your own unique stories. It’s the right thing to do, isn’t it?
So you’ve read this far, you are now probably looking for a little more. Like how do I do this style, where did I get this technique from? Like many fine artists, we observe what is around us, what other artists are doing and a lot of times, how are they doing it. None of that applys here. This technique is something I developed through much trial and error. I did not have someone that I could ask or to see what they did to get the final look I was trying to achieve. The process is simple and in some areas a little complicated. Mostly its just cutting up some paper and gluing it down on a hardboard surface, making sure that glue has reached all of the little corners of the squares, then adding a layer of Liquitex Matte Medium to provide another sealant layer and to provide a surface to add the oil sticks or paints. There, now you basically have my technique secret. Please, use it, make it better and most importantly, enjoy the satisfaction of creating your art. More details and insights are peppered throughout this site, so roam, skim and find out what stories you can walk away with. It’s all free… the stories, not so much the art.
