Photorealism just doesn't cut it for me

I once said in an interview that “I paint the reality that is closest to me”

In case you start thinking that I am a photorealist painter, I am here to clarify: Yes, I am interested in the lives of the urbanites, how they go about living their lives on the outside. But what I am more curious to know is the underlying reality of these people. Their individual stories and background are no doubt interesting materials I can use for my paintings, but I want to reflect more. I want to reflect their collective consciousness, their mindsets and attitudes, their internal struggles. I want to reveal the truth of the subject as I see it, and convey that truth to my audience through art.

Painting merely what I see is not enough to convey this truth. I need to interpret these truths and paint them in a way that will make the strongest connection to people seeing my paintings. Through my art, I create a fabricated reality. In this sense, my artistic style has much more in common with the hyperrealist style than photorealism.

A recent painting of mine probably best exemplifies this.

Send in the Clowns
2006

Everyone wears masks. We are all clowns in this sense, concealing our truth from the world. I am fascinated by the notion of peeling away these masks and revealing the soul inside. In this society lost in materialism, will we still be able to find humanity underneath these masks?

Have we gone so far and lost our souls to the greed for greater material wealth? Aren’t we all clowns hiding ugly desires behind our masks?

Something to think about.