Trash No.1, Oil on Canvas, 24″ x 30″ Trash No.2, Oil on Canvas, 24″ x 30″ Trash. No.5, Oil on Canvas, 24″ x 30″
Trash No.6, Oil on Canvas, 24″ x 30″ Trash No.4, Oil on Canvas, 24″ x 30″ Trash. No.8, Oil on Canvas, 24″ x 30″
Untitled, Oil on Canvas, 18″ x 24″ Trash No.3, Oil on Canvas, 24″ x 30″ Trash. No.7, Oil on Canvas, 24″ x 30″
Artist Statement
As a hyperrealist artist, I am experimenting with still-lifes featuring trash and recyclables. The paintings promote thoughts of consumerism and its relationship to the ecosystem. In painting these objects I also portray the potential beauty that can be found even in things often regarded to be without value, such as used and disposable objects. Hyper-realistic paintings require an obsessive attention to detail, and in giving this attention to an object rendered in this style, the objects will arguably be beautified in a way that suggests value. Further proposing that consumerism corrupts the human perception of value.
Humans have created materials, such as plastic, that allow us to have a convenient and comfortable life. Modern society is relying heavily on these materials and there are consequences to this reliance. However, people are blinded by their desire for convenience. Annually the consumption of these materials has increased. Trash is not an object that people have second thoughts about or look carefully at. As I paint hyperrealistic paintings of trash I allow viewers to look more carefully at the objects. Hyperrealistic paintings require large amounts of time to render, and the great care and detail put into this work conflicts with the notion of the objects disposability and lack of value. Consumerism and the ecosystem have an unavoidable and complex relationship with each other – when one is doing well, the other does not. When there is an increase in the consumption of products, there will be an increased impact on our ecosystem. These are some of the ideas that I am currently addressing in my paintings.