COMMISSIONED ARTWORK
A commissioned mixed media piece, "Losing Its Lift" is a commentary on the digital world (crypto, AI, etc.). As the father and son disappear into the void, the balloon -- represented here as an 8-bit NFT image) is beginning to fall back to Earth, having lost its rise as reality has erased any hope of evolving technology being the savior of our modern problems, having instead created in itself even more complex issues.
The mannequins -- with the clothing formed over foam cuttings and wire framing, then hardened to hold the shapes -- were primed and then coated with Musuo Black paint, the "blackest acrylic paint in the world" (an argument can be made for Culture Hustle's Black 4.0, as well). The paint is designed to absorb 99% of light, making details nearly impossible to discern. The glossy red pixel balloon and its bright white string add contrast to assist this illusion.
The back-facing wall had been painted a satin black prior to the commission. This paint reflects light back toward the viewer, unlike Musuo which diffuses the light in multiple directions, rendering elements like facial features and cloth draping difficult to make out.
"Depending On Your Point Of View" was a 2019 mixed-media show piece for the Brentwood Art Center. Being the Cartooning instructor at the time, I was perplexed in how so-called "serious" artists (oil, sculpture, watercolor) looked down upon cartooning and its curriculum as a lower form of art. So, the piece utilizes a clothed and PVA-hardened student, complete with his Minecraft cap, clipboard, and backpack full of overflowing cartoon art is trapped in a black "goo" that's already consumed his feet and several pieces, unable to move -- forever trapped within the stigma of not being a true artist in the eyes of art snobs. The flashes of white and bright colors further deepen the black void effect of the paint. The used artboard beneath the piece was placed to help move the work around during curation, but was eventually left in place for the show.
Black 3.0, at the time brand new to the world market, absorbs 95-97% of visible light. As far I I could tell, it was the first exhibition piece in Los Angeles to apply this special paint.
"Only Cartooning Alum(inati) Will Understand This Illustration" was a pencil on paper illustration for the 2018 Brentwood Art Center show. A play on the famous portrait of Napoleon and the Saint-Bernard Pass by Jacques-Louis David, instead here Bonaparte is a Cartooning student doing precisely what only Cartooning students understand -- drawing cartoons, knowing their memes, playing video games, and counting the minutes until break time when they'll storm the vending machine for grub. The Cliffs of Kit Kat and the Empire of Taco flag are courtesy of the artist and his (my) favorite food... according to the kids, that is.
I found it fascinating how many classically-trained instructors couldn't believe the non-art school Cartooning instructor could actually draw.
