After spending a year abroad in Tel-Aviv, I was faced with culture shock upon returning to New York City in 2009. Tel-Aviv is a developed and metropolitan city bursting with life, but there is the constant reminder that conflicy is always possible. Soldiers with weapons are scattered throughout the streets carrying on normal daily activates, like shopping, sitting at a cafes, using their phones, and laughing with friends.
When I came home, I went to the art store to buy supplies and found an item called “Martha Stewart’s Essential Glitter Set”. The use of the word “essential” with the context of my recent experience in Israel struck me, and I was reminded of the absurdity of our deeply consumptive and wasteful culture.
I used transparent medium to silkscreen hand grenades on to paper. It acted as a glue which I covered using each of the “essential” glitter colors. In doing so, I was looking to address the contrast of what “essential” meant at home vs to my friends still serving in Israel's Defense Force.
Individual prints: 8" x 10"
Both Hard Edge paintings are an abstract interpretation of a single night out in Brooklyn, and my first night out in Brooklyn - where I would eventual live for several years.
The first painting is a skill-based project. It was my first attempt at hard edge painting. The image depicts an abstracted concert scene inside the warehouse.
The second is a continuation of my obsession with contradiction. I was in attendance of a warehouse party with plenty of recreational substances available. I went up to the roof and found a playground horse. It struck me that amid one this awfully illicit party I found an object of extreme innocence.
Top Painting: 40" x 44"
Bottom Painting: 24" x 36"
Thematically aligned with the exploration of dichotomies in much of my fine art, I am simultaneously repulsed and fascinated with all rodents. I have heard that the best way to conquer your fears is to face them, and that is exactly what I aim to do in using cockroaches as a subject in my art. I find that the more I understand something, the less it scares me.
I spent one full year living abroad during my undergraduate studies. I did not paint one time while I was there. Upon my return to New York in 2009, I felt out of practice and I was not sure how to start painting again. To battle this, I began to paint one small painting each day on a 4" x 4" canvas. Eventually I noticed that the practice became a series of baby animal paintings. I continued with this practice religiously for several months as I regained my confidence in painting. The small paintings became a diary of sorts. Each day, the animal’s expressions varied based on my day-to-day thoughts and feelings.
Each painting is 4" x 4".
'The Cat' diptych is the grand finale to the 'Baby Animal Series.' I found images of this cat on the Internet and immediately connected with it's both cute and creepy look. I felt that he needed to be painted larger scale as part my exploration of dichotic themes.
Each painting is 30" x 30"
'Atomic Bomb' is a two painting series that explores the tension between beauty and destruction. A large portion of my artwork involves the idea of dichotomy which has been an inherent element in my personal experiences.
I came across photographs of atomic bomb explosions and was mesmerized by the beautiful colors and soft shapes, which was a stark contrast to the darkness and severity of the subject matter.
The top painting is 30" x 24"
The bottom painting is 30" x 40"
