Artist Statement
Blowout!
In this series titled Blowout! my work is a visual expression of the joy of objects through the stories they create. Influenced by the history of design, the traditions of tattooing, and still life painting, I marry these visual languages into a colorful and bold style. Within these compositions, narratives begin to form from the arrangements and relationships between each object. These environments are playful, with the items speaking to each other as they hover and socialize together. My fascination with tattoos delves into their unique style and function as a tool of self-expression. Traditionally, tattoo designs are drawn with multiple images on a page, creating a larger composition of each design with relational topics, colors, and subject matter. Referred to as a “flash sheet,” these are meant to be eye-catching, bold, and open a dialogue between the artist and viewer, creating a connection visually before anything else. In these paintings, the color, shape, size, and texture of each object is considered. Placement and interaction prompt the viewer to question why and how each object interrelates. Objects depicted range from the everyday to the unusual, but their perceived importance falls away when they are considered in a purely aesthetic light. This allows the viewer to come to their own conclusions, implications, or narratives for these paintings. The flat, graphic nature of these works, with solid backgrounds and a plastic sheen, are influenced heavily by advertising and mass-produced products – symbols and objects that are inextricably intertwined with our collective memories. The objects that I paint, and the paintings themselves, are meant to be universal and create a light-hearted space for people to reflect on the world around them, as well as their place within it.
