Here's a little summary of an all new series created in summer 2023 that explores all things corn, corny, and a little bit disco.
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IT'S CORN! IT'S DISCO! ITS CORNOGRAPHY!
Following my very fantastic and stunningly detailed Trash Painting Series, I started playing around with a few of my favorite things in an attempt to proceed in the studio with wonderment, playfulness, and a little more ease. Maybe now would be a good time to follow joy and let perfectionism have a rest. So I gave into my desire to make something pretty and chose from some of my favorite goodies: disco balls and barbecued corn. I know I know, I’m a chronic millennial with disco ball fever and easily distracted by shiny things. But why does this have to be bad? Aren’t we in the “embrace the cringe” era? I have even gone so far as to start posting regularly on TikTok. The content is mediocre and the editing is terrible. So what? At least it’s out there. (But you are going to have to find it yourself because I’m not brave enough to link it here yet.) Anyways, back to the point: IT’S CORN!
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It may be possible that corn is a recurring theme in my work. Back in 2021 I was creating 2 hour daily paintings all summer, the alla prima series. One of those was a scene of corn grilling on a barbecue. That painting garnered much attention on display at my Tucson studio. In spring of this year I decided to return to the subject and try to paint the same scene again, and see how my skill and style had changed.
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Revisiting the original scene was a blast. That piece went to a loving home. So I gave it one more shot in this format, but still felt that I needed to see how far I could push the corn concept…
Looking through my studio materials, I had a couple round wooden panels laying around. As a study, I want to consider the way the corn kernels glisten as they char lightly on a smokey grill. If I could look through a kaleidoscope at the corn blistering, what would I see? This is also an homage to Sari Shryack and her stunning work known as the Disco Ball Series. She is an incredible contemporary painter. Her use of color and playfulness has had me shook since I first discovered her on the internet. I continue to return to her work and process for inspiration.
Enjoying the process, I noticed a couple more round panels sitting in the studio.. So I thought, might as well.
And then I went to Ikea and found some stunning lazy susan’s. Can you imagine rolling up to your bestie’s bbq with all your barbeque fixings levitating on this tray?! Or maybe as a signature décor piece on your dining room! The possibilities are curvular!
This series was a fascinating experiment and an utter delight to create. I have so enjoyed spending time in each iteration. Not exactly going for a production like setup of recreating the same painting countless times, instead I am taking the same concept and translating it to fit the colors I have on my palette and the shape of the corn from different references. The desire to get the perfect balance of contrast, favorite colors, and reflective kernels has kept me cranking these out.
I still have a couple more corn ideas to get through, but this series is winding down. I finaly have a favorite one, 7 paintings in. I will be sharing these at a couple upcoming markets, The Downtown Chandler Art Walk and 2nd Sundays on Mill Avenue. Otherwise they will be live on my shop page soon!