INSPIRATIONS + OBSERVATIONS

PAINT WHAT YOU LIKE was the seventh painting in my series of pop inspired work. Being heavily influenced by Andy Warhol, I thought it was time to go back and rediscover my passions for the work. In flipping through a standard Pop Art book, I found myself stuck on Andy's portrait of Marilyn. Curious at the power of art and its ability to marry these two icons into our working memories forever-- I questioned Andy's interest in Marilyn as a subject, was it in her life or in her death?  Consequently, thoughts on greatness, repetition, consumption, and influence, etc. started bubbling to the surface and so I knew I had to proceed with a series of work. But most importantly, it is my point of view that it is our responsibility to examine our Visual Culture-- instead of just consuming 'it' that drives my passion throughout the series. 

PAINT WHAT YOU LIKE fed off of the curiosity that ANDY'S POLAROIDED SELFIE created. I felt an unstoppable curiosity to jump into the mind of Andy and decided to chose imagery that demonstrated pivotal moments in his evolution. The Shirley Temple was a photograph that was found in his childhood collection-- proof of his deep seeded interest in popular culture. His Vogue cover-- proof a successful commercial art career. His Campbell's Soup Can and Dollar Bill marks his transition into a fine artist. It is said that it was suggested to Andy that simply 'paints what he liked' as his repetition of this subject matter can be assumed as proof that he really liked Campbell's Soup.