oil on canvas
48”x 60”
This piece is a metaphor for verifying one’s emotions and the painting plays with the positioning of words to equivocate the meaning, which changes depending on how one reads it: (left to right) “I am sad because I miss him” and (top to bottom) “I miss him because I am sad”. It was inspired by Parisian street art and the Bauhaus, as well as the Lindisfarne Gospels, Jenny Holzer, Wassily Kandinsky, and Alfred Stieglitz and how each work or artist used line, text, color or composition.
Parisian street art inspired the choice of a large canvas and the multiple layers of thick white paint to simulate the texture of the walls found at Montmartre.The Bauhaus inspired the choice of colors and the emphasis on form and composition within this piece. Balance is achieved through by consuming more space for cooler, soft colors (blue) and consuming less space for warmer, harsh colors (red). The form of the line also corresponds to the quality of its color: curvilinear, organic lines for soft colors and rigid, serrated lines for harsh colors. The curls of the Lindisfarne Gospels are referenced in the design of this piece; both the process of creating the painting and viewing it evoke a meditative trance. Jenny Holzer inspired the use of text to confront the audience and compel active engagement with the art as well as provoke personal reflection. Wassily Kandinksy’s studies and theories, especially at the Bauhaus, inspired the use of line and color. Alfred Stieglitz’s pioneering use of design principles to elevate photography to art also inspired the use of design principles to heighten this piece; while technically simple, it utilizes a myriad of design principles to execute. Threads and wires are common motifs I use to symbolize emotions and relationships: full of potential and endless possibilities, to be straight or tangled, short or long, smooth or rough.
