As I stood in front of my easel with the sun shining through my studio windows, I imagined myself in a sunlit studio style warehouse with large windows, somewhere in mid-town Manhattan NY. If only I could time travel back to the 1960s and have a day inside Andy Warhol’s studio. Watching him paint his famous Marilyn Monroe portraits diptych and hearing his view of the “Pop Art” phenomenon, one of the most famous art movements of all time, would perhaps give me a more accurate insight to understanding what life as an artist was like during this era. To even contemplate that I might sell my Melbourne prints online, was unimaginable.
I can only imagine the criticism and buzz of the art world during the 50s and 60’s as artists were turning to “popular” culture like comic books, magazines and movies for inspiration and creating new forms of art that were fresh, playful, colourful and relatable. Sparking a consumerist culture, “Pop Art” embraced fashion and design trends driving economic growth and setting the scene for commercial art to thrive!
I particularly love the fashion, design and pop art culture of the Mid-Century period, it’s so fun. The 50’s and 60’s to me captures a sense of growing optimism, hopefulness and dreams! “Pop Art” has always caught my eye. The works from some of the greats like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and David Hockney have influenced me as an artist, and inspired me to learn more about the “Pop Art” culture.
While “Pop Art” began in the 1950s and was popularised in the 1960s, several iconic artists today continue to keep it alive through their exciting and widely beloved works – and I now sell my Melbourne prints online, as well as other prints. With the decades-old movement as their muse, artists such as Jeff Koons, capture the colourful aesthetic of Pop Art with larger-than-life sculptures, his balloon dog mirror-polished stainless steel sculpture in blue, yellow, orange, red and magenta colour versions are well known amongst art enthusiasts and fans.
My most recent oil-on-canvas portrait series, with a play on English idioms, is perhaps a little conservative compared to Andy Warhol’s portraits and the Pop Art inspired artworks of today, but what I love is the simplicity of the artworks. The punchy colours of the backgrounds allow the playful comical inspired portraits to pop! I love the power of portrait art! A portrait can paint a story for you that no words need be shared. The portrait’s eyes can tell that story, you just have to allow yourself to be drawn in. I’m drawn to the eyes of the portraits I painted, as though they’re looking back at me sharing with me their captured emotions!
Whilst I continue to evolve as an artist and experiment with different mediums – such as selling my Melbourne prints online now – I feel my true inspiration will continue to flourish from the era’s I most love. The power of portrait art is impactful at so many levels no matter what style! There’s a whole lot more retro inspired works within me to create, and I’m excited to share those future works with you.
To view my pop art inspired portraits please visit my Portfolio.