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24” x 36” Acrylic on Birch panelPart of my heart will forever be reserved by this piece. I mean, all of my work has this effect on me. But this one stands out - my first commission of this sort. For a special neighbor-turned lifelong friend.
This work was a departure from the overall emotive driver I typically gravitate towards. We took a beautiful piece by Jean Dewasne and used the bold colors and geometric shapes as a starting point. The real heart of the work however comes from its manifestation into an Analytique of the apartment building me and the client both lived in. An old building, the most well maintained I have ever encountered. From the friezes on the facade, intricate brickwork, French garden-esque courtyard with a gentle welcoming fountain, to the choice of light fixtures, patterned hallway carpet, and precious moldings inside. “Pepe’s Garden” sits accompanying the building - a meandering meadow of vegetables and wildflowers, my partner and I built a birdhouse to remain forever in the garden. The exploded axonometric forms on the wood highlight the hallways, the stairwells, skylights, among other things - architectural elements of the building I pulled off of the general composition. The roof is a platform to which one is able to breathe in west coast mountain air. Crisp and clean, a haven of sorts is the crown to this special manicured constructed mass of dwellings.
You cannot build what is old. Old spaces, places…they have a level of humanity to them. We have morphed them, we learn to live with them just as these pieces of architecture, pieces of our city, learn to live with us.
Ultimately this piece taught me a lot, and a lot about why I love making art. Art is a platform, it allows for inspiration to bring about a shift in one’s thinking. It is powerful to be able to provide a piece of matter that has enough passion and love poured into it, that it opens up an avenue of inspiration in another human.
Process:
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