Critiqued Assignment #2: Irony versus Sincerity / "Never Trust a Southern Groundhog"

Abstract

This is a digital photograph of McKenzie Drake's painting. It was submitted as the second critiqued assignment, "Irony versus Sincerity," on March 1, 2017 in Erin Harmon's Intermediate/Advanced Painting class. All pieces are 36x48 or larger; acrylic on canvas. The artist's statement reads: "This painting is bold and unusual with a grid of yellow and dark purple dividing the space that separates two older-looking figures with a set of delicate weeds. These objects float within X, Y, and Z coordinate planes while using spatial ambiguity on the canvas, showing how both sets of objects are considering each other in their odd pairing on the canvas. Text in the background spoils their conversation but opens the viewer into a unique story they tell to each other. Together, these beings mock each other in form and function, questioning what purpose they have to each other. This painting was successful in that it got me to consider different painting styles and colors I had not considered before. In addition, it showed that the conversation between objects being more explicit can help the viewer step into the piece just as much as I can while painting it. The components I still would like to work out after this piece involved the process of painting the text and having it legible yet not as explicit to the painting’s narrative. I feel this process is a delicate balance that is still hard to control."