The Rhythm Painting

— On Modern Women & Deep Listening — This work is inspired by Tamara de Lempicka, who I believe to be one of the most underrated artists in history (like most female artists...). Working in the 1920s and 30s, she was an ingenious painter of the modern woman in all her forms... her subjects can be found wearing pantsuits, smoking, driving in cars, or laying around naked together. They are monumental and sculptural, voluminous and geometric. This piece also reveals my ever-expanding obsession with music. I've always loved music, but lately I've entered a new phase in my relationship with it. I found a renewed interest in listening deeply to music, paying close attention to the sounds and the words, and doing little else. It's a simple but powerful shift. It seems that our lives are more fast-paced and jam-packed than ever. Nearly everywhere we turn we are confronted with an onslaught of visual media. Music plays in the background of most businesses. Our phones fill all our in-between moments. It's easy to bounce from distraction to distraction, interruption to interruption. Deciding to focus and reflect is to go against the grain of contemporary urban life... to lay around naked and listen deeply to music (with little regard for who is viewing) is to challenge the constant stream of desire induced by both our culture and nature. *Note: The tan areas are raw, exposed canvas, which adds a lot of texture.