Right now, I'm experimenting with a style I call "Pixelism". I've started off taking sprites from video games and painting them, hoping to encourage greater comtemplation of their artistic meaning, which is often ignored by the viewer in the video game medium. I'm also trying to work with more original, natural images and then pixelating them, which has an interesting effect. Pixelating something makes it unreal, makes it part of the legion of digital imagery we are confronted with every day. In this great technological age we live in, I believe it is important to explore how our technology shapes our way of looking at the world. I have also moved on to different subjects, most recently explorations of my love for Japanese culture.
Fire Curry 100th POWER!!. 2003. Acrylics on canvas, 20" x 10"
The first layer of this work is a collage of scenes from the Japanese "manga" style comic "Revolutionary Girl Utena", in which the plot revolves around making curry with explosive properties. This work is a reflection of the cultural ability of Japan to take the most mudane things, such as making dinner, and turn them into wildly exciting events.
Status: In Storage
Kogal with Scarf. 2003. Acrylics on canvas, 16" x 16"
This is a rendering of a Japanese model posing for a fashion shoot. Although the skin color is heavily abstracted, the highlights in her hair as well as her lipstick and eyeliner are surpsingly close to the original.
Status: In Storage
Portrait of a Hero (8bit): Fighter. 2003. Acrylics on canvas, 24" x 16"
This was commissioned by a fan of the Final Fantasy series. I believe it turned out rather well. Who would not be satisfied with this image of a such a stalwart warrior?
Status: Sold (Private Collector)
Still Life (16bit): Flowers and Vase. 2003. Acrylics on canvas, 20" x 10"
My first experiment with an original image, I have abstracted a vase with roses into pixels. Although it did not meet all my expectations, I'm getting some excellent feedback.
Status: In Storage
Portrait of Villainy (16bit): MagiTek Soldier. 2003. Acrylics on canvas, 38" x 34"
From Final Fantasy Three, the MagiTek Soldier is a man riding a lumbering metal giant, a huge mechanical suit with great strength and destructive power. These machines were used to keep many people under an oppressive rule and crush any defiance. Deriving its energy from captured mystical forces, the machine-man comes to represent how the Earth is often subjugated by man in order to achieve his own twisted ends.
Status: In Storage
Portrait of a Hero (16bit): Samus Aryan. 2003. Acrylics on canvas, 24" x 12"
From the long-lived Metroid series, Samus Aryan is perhaps the greatest heroine in the history of video games. Although her feminine form was masked by her suit (unless, of course, one used the infamous "JUSTIN BAILEY" code), she was, and continues to be, a valiant slayer of many a space-borne menace. More than just a video game character, she can be seen as a symbol of the future of female empowerment.
Status: Sold (Private Collector)
Portrait of a Hero (8bit): Black Mage. 2003. Acrylics on canvas, 24" x 16"
From the most popular RPG series in existence, Black Mage is a character we see introduced in the very first "Final Fantasy" game. An unlikely presence amongst the "light warriors", Black Mage is a mysterious manifestation of dark power. We never see his true face, only glowing eyes from the inside of a shadow. Can something that seems so inherently evil truly be on the side of good?
Status: Sold (Private Collector)
Portrait of a Hero (8bit): Trevor Belmont. 2003. Acrylics on canvas, 30" x 24"
Vampire slaying is very popular these days, but Trevor Belmont did it before it was so trendy. Father of the long-hailed Simon Belmont, Trevor was among the first to battle Dracula, as we saw in the prequel to the original "Castlevania" games, "Castlevania III". A hero in the most classic sense, Trevor is a man endowed with no super powers, simply a few meager weapons he uses to fend off an onslaught of demonic horrors. Striking a strong pose, Trevor is ever-diligent, a symbol of the staying power of virtue.
Status: In Storage
All above characters (i.e. "Samus Aryan", "Black Mage", "Trevor Belmont", etc.) as well as all video games, game systems, etc. mentioned, are a trademark/copyright of their respective creators and businesses. I do not claim ownership of them, only present artistic renditions of them in a new medium.
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