Itchy Sprout
Soft Pastel, 2022
Besides making a mess as a toddler, this art series was the first time I attempted to exorcise my creativity through a pastel channel. And even though the printing paper I used was wholly unsuitable and my rough pencil lines are often visible, I must say, the medium was so much fun and very forgiving for my sloppy style.
The concept was to take well-known masterpieces and swipe the Jared spice on them, with one exclusive rule: I had to have seen the original with my own eyes in real life. This deep analysis invoked a fresh appreciation (or, at times, discrediting view) that you'll only unlock during a recreation process. Once completed, I photographed these pieces at night using the light of one exposed bedroom bulb alone, which is usually NEVER sufficient, yet brought out a yellow hue I appreciated. There is no digital editing here. The naming of these works revealed themselves as anagrams of the original title (Mona Lisa = Salmon AI; The Scream = Mash Creet; Girl With a Pearl Earring = Alright, Prairie Wrangle!; The Last Supper = Apple Shutters; The Starry Night = The Thirsty Gran; The Kiss = Sesh Kit; The Birth of Venus = Fish Oven Be Truth; Guernica = A Gin Cure; The Persistence of Memory = Empty Forensic Threesome; The Creation of Adam = Motheaten Fora Acid). Finally, it's important to note that I intentionally fucked myself up on valium before creating each of these. I think it added something.