As a figurative painter I felt like I landed on Mars when I entered the much coveted Art Center graduate school. Surrounded by conceptual art that rarely took physical form, I was seen as something rare and bizarre – still using traditional materials of oil painting. Students were expected to sign up for private critiques with a selection of celebrity status artists, writers, and critics. Coming from such different backgrounds, we rarely had something in common to talk about. Thus an idea was born: sign up for a session with a famous “advisor” and ask them to pose for a painting rather than partake in a mutually negative art critique. Surprisingly, my invitation was gladly accepted.
“Negatives” is a collection of snapshots executed in oil paint on canvas. Executed in under two hours (as long as the subject was able to tolerate the session) in a modest size format of 30 x 24, these portraits are inside-out views with an emphasis on capturing personality, spirit, or attitude rather than status of the sitter. These encounters were mutually beneficial: I earned free and fascinating “models” who in turn got paid by the school without having to “talk”. Presented for the first time since creation in 2000, the intimacy of Negatives” is now available for public view.