My current body of work deals with ideas of desire, material value, consumption, and appropriation. A kaleidoscopic web is formed through pattern, representing the complex world of advertising and the state of wanting; when desire becomes uncontrollable addiction. I achieve this through use of bright flat colors derived from vibrant Los Angeles cultural motifs as well as from art historical influences of Bay Area painting. Richard Diebenkorn and Wayne Thiebaud serve as key influences.
The most recent series of paintings places specific focus on the societal struggle young women face. Points of emphasis include social pressures, cultural taboos of women’s sexuality, and body image anxiety. Through the depiction of glossy hair and inexpensive flashy jewelry the work portrays what society wants of young women. The implied expectation of beauty furthers the imbalance of male/ female gender roles. The paint relies heavily on holographic glitter as well as day glow color to push the drama further.
Layered imagery of anonymous groups of young women paired with grotesque representations of food, are meant to mimic the Internet bombardment inescapable to young women today. The viewer is drawn in with a slower understanding of the whole by juxtaposing subject matter to replicate web media strategies. The repeated subject matter, and large scale works mirror the techniques of commercial advertisements.
Amplifying these color and compositional moves, I also quote doodles that manifest from spontaneous drawing into larger abstract mark making. For young girls doodling is a part of their inner dialogue. These short drawings from an adolescent perspective show several different parts of their personality and experiences. Pairing enjoyable and automatic mark making with my paintings through the use of drawing gives the viewer a more playful and compelling picture. Having the dynamic of more rigid representational imagery paired with free flowing abstraction brings the pieces full circle.
Spending time with my drawings and paintings the viewer should start to question the cultural expectations for women, and contemplate possibilities for change. Similarly, the spontaneous and free-formed line will have more of an interaction with the planned and fixed objects of desire. Ultimately, I ask the viewer to look critically at the relevance of these objects and decide where the value lies.
The most recent series of paintings places specific focus on the societal struggle young women face. Points of emphasis include social pressures, cultural taboos of women’s sexuality, and body image anxiety. Through the depiction of glossy hair and inexpensive flashy jewelry the work portrays what society wants of young women. The implied expectation of beauty furthers the imbalance of male/ female gender roles. The paint relies heavily on holographic glitter as well as day glow color to push the drama further.
Layered imagery of anonymous groups of young women paired with grotesque representations of food, are meant to mimic the Internet bombardment inescapable to young women today. The viewer is drawn in with a slower understanding of the whole by juxtaposing subject matter to replicate web media strategies. The repeated subject matter, and large scale works mirror the techniques of commercial advertisements.
Amplifying these color and compositional moves, I also quote doodles that manifest from spontaneous drawing into larger abstract mark making. For young girls doodling is a part of their inner dialogue. These short drawings from an adolescent perspective show several different parts of their personality and experiences. Pairing enjoyable and automatic mark making with my paintings through the use of drawing gives the viewer a more playful and compelling picture. Having the dynamic of more rigid representational imagery paired with free flowing abstraction brings the pieces full circle.
Spending time with my drawings and paintings the viewer should start to question the cultural expectations for women, and contemplate possibilities for change. Similarly, the spontaneous and free-formed line will have more of an interaction with the planned and fixed objects of desire. Ultimately, I ask the viewer to look critically at the relevance of these objects and decide where the value lies.