INSPO
I’ve been an artist and performer my whole life, but I haven’t always made “fine art.” That is, the kind of art that you go to school for. Truth be told, the only art class I ever took was during grad school and it was a feminist theory class not a practical course. This year when I began making paintings on glass people began to describe the type of art I make by making references to other artists that it might be related to. When the opportunity to do a show at Booby’s (my favorite local sandwich shop), I thought it might be a good idea to trace some of those connections for myself and to share them with whoever happens by. The following descriptions are not meant to be exhaustive biographies of these artists, but rather to explain the way I see their work and what about it inspires or shapes the way I make or approach my own artwork. A second note, these are the digital drawings not the paintings themselves.
Diane Arbus (1923-1971) was an American photographer best known for her portraiture. She stretched the boundaries of who could be the subject of photography. Her willingness to connect with her subjects is one thing that sets her work apart from other photographers. New York Times Magazine article, “Arbus Reconsidered”, Arthur Lubow states, “She was fascinated by people who were visibly creating their own identities—cross-dressers, nudists, sideshow performers, tattooed men, the nouveaux riches, the movie-star fans—and by those who were trapped in a uniform that no longer provided any security or comfort.” She inspires me to fearlessly follow my curiosity and connect with people and to make people I love the subject of my work.
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) was an American painter who began his career doing graffiti in New York City under the moniker SAMO with Al Diaz. They would create what I would consider visual poetry in the form of street art. As he developed he would make works out of a variety of materials that ranged from oil paintings on canvas, to clothing, wood, and newspapers. He was critical of capitalism and racism. Crowns, animals and words are recurring images in his work. I am inspired by Basquiat’s willingness to see everything as art and to make art out of anything. He inspires me to lean into my own aesthetic and to share the way I see the world with my art.
