This ongoing series began in 2011 as a reaction to my time spent working for a beauty trade publication. After spending countless hours meticulously pouring over catalog deals, I was compelled to deconstruct the advertisements surrounding me. I disassembled saddle-stitched catalogs, and determined a new set of rules to guide this practice that aren't driven by my aesthetic preferences:
- Remove the figure seen, keep hair and clothing in tact
- What is revealed through the cut outs on the attached page, or "spread," should be product (though sometimes an abstracted figure appears)
This system of working then developed into the paintings seen here. Every choice made was dictated by the original sketch including color, size, text, and composition. By using this set of rules, I hope to shed light on how we view aesthetics, and how something as recognizable as text and figures can become abstracted and redefined to create something new.
Images in order:
Untitled no. 1 (Spread series)
Untitled no. 2 (Spread series)
Untitled no. 3 (Spread series)
Untitled no. 4 (Spread series)
Untitled no. 5 (Spread series)
Untitled no. 6 (Spread series)
Untitled no. 7 (Spread series)
Untitled no. 8 (Spread series)
Sketches for Spread series
Sketch (Untitled no. 9, Spread series)
Acrylic on fabric
54 x 54 inches
Acrylic on cotton
54 x 96 inches
Acrylic on paper
53 x 108 inches
A selection of pages from various sketchbooks.
