Self Portrait Series continuation/ progress

Round 3: Death of Pop Art

Another Self Portrait Series...

So a friend of mine and I are doing an experimental type project of self portraits. Each week we pick a theme, and we set out on our own to solve it in our own style through self portraits. For example...


Round 1: Overexposure

and

 Round 2: Choose A Color

This shoot has been really fun so far, and I hope to continue it. It is also really nice to have something to keep me behind (and in front of) the camera in between  model sessions, side projects and other jobs.

Self Portraits

I am working on a new series of self portraits, however, I am not in any of the photographs. My idea is to deconstruct my character into separate personas, each dressed in my clothes using my personal items. Each persona will be executed through a different "model". These portraits are of me using others.

 My first "model", a friend of mine, is personifying John the Pokemon Master. (Yes, I am a twenty three year old professional with a love for catching 'em all.) A big achievement of mine is obtaining all 649 Pokemon, completing the Pokedex (even all the rare Nintendo Event Pokemon), using no cheats; just countless hours of gameplay and trades.

So I recently did some headshots for my good friend Everett. Here are some of the final images. Three images were supposed to look antique for a project that he is doing about pretending to be a history figure, and the other two are just basic portraits.

I recently finished this piece titled "I had something to say..." Basic media, acrylic and thread on canvas.

A few weeks ago, I had planned to lay some things on the line, important things. The whole evening was ruined, and I never got to say what I desperately wanted to get off my chest. This work is my reaction to that whole fiasco. The threading was an experiment, and worked out wonderfully to describe the complex, tangled emotions that I was intending. I am extremely proud of how it turned out!

 

I have finally gotten my Mac and am able to catch up on the projects that I am so far behind on! This means new stuff for the site soon!


Meanwhile, I have been painting a lot. This is one that I am currently working on in my dad's recently rebuilt house (it burnt down last August). Instead of a back splash in the kitchen,  he asked if I would paint him a mural type thing. Included are some of my initial sketches and the process work thus far (and I am not even half way finished).

So this pice is based on the most vivid of my memories about growing up in that house with my dad, the feelings of growing up and realizing that the home you grew up in is the same place, but completely different.

When I was five, I walked into our kitchen to find my dad standing in the complete darkness, staring out of the window and crying. I was shocked by the vulnerability of this man that I looked at as my hero, this unbreakable, and unbelievably strong man. This was the first time I ever saw him crying, the first time in my memory that I saw the crushing effects of heartbreak. The love of his life had left us that week, just wanted something else from life and left him and I. I thought I was hidden behind our large kitchen table only to find out last week that he knew I was there and thought that it was important for me as a child to see that men do cry and that there was no shame in that.

This inspired the basis for the painting. The figures are obviously representative of my dad and I, The table is what I hid behind, but more than that tables are stable and structured, and I wanted to symbolize that aspect of my raising. I'll keep the blog updated with my progress because this project is so important to me, and give further explanations as I post.

Random pieces...

First: Admiration for the Universe

This piece was a spin off of a series I did about a reoccurring character in my dreams. This gypsy always appears to me while i am sleeping to share knowledge with my dream self that helps me face/ overcome the obstacles that I meet in both my day to day life and in my dream state.

Second:
A mixed media collage that just came unexpectedly. She is a goddess, strong and wise! Silent, but looking out from her frame knowingly, always watching.

Third: Johnny and the Narwhals
This piece is also based on a series of reoccurring dreams in which I am the keyhole, to what I am not quite sure. My only help comes from the key, the boy pictured. He is me, my past and present lives all combined into one. The woman holding him back has stolen him. She is always lurking, plotting. In every dream, she kills someone dear to me in an attempt to take possession of the key. I am the only one who can stop her, and the key is the only one who can guide me. This piece is my asking myself what would it look like if she ever got ahold of him. Where would she take him? How would I find him? Who would be there to support me if she succeeded?

Flesh and Bees Series

This mixed media drawing series is based on the idea of the birds and the bees! Bees, to me, have more honorable qualities than birds so I removed them from the equation altogether. Bees have a sense of community that I envy and admire. Their sense of purpose and dedication to their fellows is remarkable. Things that I would want to teach to children of mine. The bees on the flesh is representative of these traits being transferred to the body which will in turn be passed on to the offspring. It also creates an uneasiness for the viewer because the idea of having insects on one's self isn't pleasant. This juxtaposes my meaning and creates an interesting push/ pull. These pieces mean a great deal to me, and I am extremely happy with the outcome!

I've been away for quite some time...

Because working full time is obviously time consuming! However I will be uploading a ton of new stuff to the blog! (The website as well as soon as my computer is fixed!) I've produced some work over the last couple of months that I am extremely proud of! Pictures will follow.