Marcus Aurelius – Fractured Bust

Here’s a new painting of mine. It’s a bust of Marcus Aurelius. Since his book ‘Meditations’ has had such a profound influence on me, I felt compelled to create a visual reminder of his imagery to hang in my apartment. His gaze embodies what I believe to be the essence of stoicism, which is an unflinching approach to all external events. Things are what they are, and the only thing we can control is our interpretation of events.

I chose to paint a camouflage background for two reasons. Primarily, it symbolizes Marcus Aurelius’ military background and resonates with the concept of Roman stoicism (which is a practical application of the philosophy akin to a defensive military tactic). Secondarily, I am huge fan of Andy Warhol. He had a camouflage collection which was a series or prints that took the standard pattern and infused them with his signature color palette.

Marcus Aurelius will continue to be an influence in my artwork, so I look forward to see what kooky idea I come up with next.

Fashion Ad Collage

Similar to my previous post, I constructed another collage using leftover magazines. For this project, I chose to use iconic fashion brands such as Chanel, Versace, Hermes, etc. However, instead of keeping the advertisements intact (which would benefit the fashion houses by adding extra consumer exposure), I chose to obscure the brands and logos. You can still make out which some of these brands are, so it is a tongue-in-cheek approach.

As an avid street and graffiti art aficionado, I am consumed by individuals who repurpose and/or alter their existing environments. Some may consider this an eyesore. Others (like myself) view it as an unconventional beautification process.That’s the inspiration for this piece.

I took existing images and reused them to create a fresh new abstraction. My preservation of some identifiable images is an homage to process involved in creating this piece. Symbolically, it’s a nostalgic nod to the past and a hopeful aspiration toward the future.

I have created several of these and will be posting subsequent finished products.

D.I.Y. NY Poster/Magazine Collage

Working in media/advertising has its perks. One of my favorites is the copious amounts of magazines which are readily available per gratis! The two magazines I can’t wait to get my mitts on every week are Time Out New York and New York Magazine. T.O.N.Y. serves as a practical weekly guide for the New York urban explorer, while New York Magazine crams  miscellaneous culture into every nook and cranny of said explorer’s curious little head.

That said, I have amassed a lengthy collection of both publications since moving to NYC a year ago. I was just about to throw them out when I got the idea for the project above.

What better way to immortalize the two magazines I love while simultaneously cataloging my first year in the Big Apple. This just seemed like such an obvious thing to create and all under $40. Enjoy!

D.I.Y. Table

I decided to make my own table this weekend. I love IKEA, but what sucks about it is that it’s mass produced, so the chances of someone else owning the same product as you is highly likely. And no, this isn’t some anti-mainstream gripe of mine, I just believe in individuality across clothes, furniture, taste in art, etc.

For around $60, I built this table (but had to go to IKEA anyway for the legs, lol). I love it. If you want to know exactly how I built it and what I used, just let me know, but the photos are pretty self-explanatory (minus the drill, which isn’t photographed). I am not a handyman whatsoever, so if I can figure it out I’m sure you can. God bless the internet.