John Darnielle, Rene Magritte, and Camilla Cook walk into a bar. What do they say to each other? Let's CREATE!
Since 2013, music has grown to be one of my biggest passions and interests - you may even say it was my first boyfriend! I learned a lot about my favorite artists, listened and connected to specific songs and lyrics, and jammed out at concerts. But there was a missing piece: I wanted to see how I could incorporate music into my other passion - art - and mash the two together. With some brainstorming, my nusanced artisitc style was born: Surrealism Band Paintings. Now, it's funny - a lot of my favorite musical artists that stem from the Punk/Indie/Rock scene have an animal or inanimate-object in their 1) band name or 2) song titles. This has lent itself well, as this has inspired me to create portraits of certain band members portrayed as a certain animal, either alluding to their band name or a song title. If you are still not catching on, review my portfolio as well as the list below of bands that lean into this inspiration:
- The Mountain Goats (print made - see portfolio + collage below)
- The National (print made - see portfolio + collage below)
- Tigers Jaw (painting made but not pictured - coming soon)
- Foxing (painting in progress - coming soon)
- Artic Monkeys (idea in the works)
- Turnover (idea in the works)
- Micorwave (idea in the works)
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Paint something that you connect with strongly.
After reading "From the Basement: A History of Emo" by Taylor Markarian, I realized how much this book made me feel seen and understood, and the strong connection I held to music - an itch I never wanted to scratch. Wanting to maintain this connection for myself and others (especially during a pandemic that has halted the music industry), I created the "Real Punk Is..." series.
It's an exploration of what it means to identify and connect with the emo/punk genre and scene. This genre of music is meant for people to not feel alone, that even if you don't understand yourself, you don't have to hide your feelings about it. It calls for embracing yourself through all the flaws, issues, and unconventional weirdness. And through observations and meeting others, this community of people, even if they are strangers, are positively hellbent on being inclusive, open, kind, and all around good towards others. This series of art serves as a *reminder* for staying true to yourself, never hiding your feelings, and to show those around you (who may not understand your music taste) what it is all about. Especially regarding social issues.