I Collage by KJ May

KJ May is an artist living in Alexandria, VA- painting in oils, assembling collage and drawing in ink. Most of my pieces are figurative. I express emotions through the human body and its environment. I tightly crop images and rely on expressions, colors, and interlocking shapes to explore sadness, joy and the stuff in between. The strength of each painting relies on the underlying strength of the drawing. I have complete control over ink drawings. Oil paints bring color and additional texture. With collage, I have to rely upon images that are not mine- assembling a puzzle with no guide and no obvious solution, which allows a greater range of expression and a looseness to the work. When combining oil paint and collage, I can bring out the best of both mediums. I grew up in backwoods southeastern Pennsylvania with acres of time on my hands and no one around. I moved to the city and got my training and BFA at the University of the Arts In Philadelphia. To get by, I worked different jobs but continued to paint, draw and collage. I’ve sold some work, helped out on way too many pro bono projects, and been in a few shows, most recently in Alexandria, VA’s Art League Gallery in 2019. A handful of oil paintings are in private collections in New York and Florida. When I was learning to paint in oils, I admired classic oil painters, when I was training in illustration, I was influenced by illustrators. If my paintings look like book covers or album covers, it’s because of the structure and discipline from illustration training. As I have grown older, I admire more disparate artists who may be skilled at color combinations or abstract expressions or mastery of technique. My admiration is for variety.