"Play Refreshed"

acrylic and metal leaf on board, 40 x 23 inches, 2024

These new paintings draw inspiration from vintage advertisements featuring carousel imagery, often used to sell products ranging from motor oil to soft drinks. These ads evoke a nostalgic sense of childhood innocence, leveraging sentimentality to foster consumer trust and brand loyalty. However, the familiar carousel horses are absent, replaced by creatures stitched together from a patchwork of disparate animal parts. These jarring combinations fracture the idyllic, nostalgic glow, creating a striking contrast between the comforting allure of the past and the surreal, disjointed nature of the present. Vibrant colors and distorted forms blend to challenge the viewer’s perception of memory, nostalgia, and reality, questioning the idealized and often deceptive images we cling to from the past.

This painting will be available at ArtSpace in Raleigh, NC (beginning October 4) as part of their FRESH exhibit. Please contact them at [email protected] for inquiries.