Original artwork description:

This painting was created by referencing the photograph taken by Elizabeth Lavin from her Gay Rodeo series. It is painted with acrylic, Sharpie, spray paint and charcoal. This is the second painting I have created from one of Elizabeth's photographs. It is part of my ongoing series exploring the West and appropriating portraiture into the 21st Century.

I am an observer. Throughout my life my observations are what keep me interested and intrigued with our society and culture, past and present. Whether watching a film, appreciating a record, reading a book or studying a work of art, we are all observing something special and unique. I take these observations and turn them into paintings that I find aesthetically pleasing. Most of my images are pulled from websites and stock photography. I enjoy the process of taking something that has little to no meaning to me and making it my own, allowing it to take on new life. I don’t claim that my paintings have meaning. I’ve tried to make that claim in the past but later felt like I was lying and was just trying to impress others. If one finds something attractive with my application of paint, color palette or subject matter, then suddenly that is the meaning.

For the past several years I have focused my energy and efforts on painting people. And although I don’t want to be labeled as a portrait painter, that is how most people would describe me. The subjects of my paintings aren’t important nor are their stories or backgrounds. At the end of the day, the finished painting is all that’s left and, to me, all that matters.

Materials used:

acrylic, charcoal, spray paint

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