eric
garvey





He/Him

Painter, Animator, Graphic Designer                                        
pop, expressionist, pluralism, textured, abstract



 

My work for this exhibition is a series of paintings using acrylic, tempera, and graphite on unstretched canvas. The paintings are done in a pluralist style and depict seemingly random images that have been sporadically placed. Each painting depicts a different map as the very first layer of the painting, along with its own unique colour washed on top of it. These maps represent different places that I have lived in or called home in one way or another, and the colour placed on top is representative of an emotional state that I’ve felt in that location or point in my life.

I start by pinning the raw canvas to the wall and covering it with gesso. I paint a rough map structure directly onto the gesso and then cover the entire canvas with a thin coat of watered-down paint, letting the paint drip and morph as I move the brush. I then map out my compositional structure with loose outlines and fill in the components one by one, using different rendering styles for each component as I see fit. Once I’ve filled out my planned composition, I stand back and see what needs to be added or removed, and then I change the painting until I feel like the composition is working and I am satisfied with the final piece.

The content of my work focuses on exploring feelings of emotional disconnect as well as self-discovery during the early adulthood stages of life. Gen Z is the first generation to grow up with the internet existing for our entire lives, and this brand-new landscape that we were pretty much forced into has proven to be vast and confusing. My compositions and imagery mimic this confusion and sporadic nature. In my paintings, I use photos of things that resonate with me personally and have some sort of meaning or story in my life. Although this imagery has meaning to me, it is interpretive to the viewer. Like myself, my work often presents as awkward and uncomfortable, which I try to play on by exaggerating it to strengthen my story. My concept ties into the theme of this exhibition by exploring feelings of self-doubt in an attempt to discover my own room to live.






Previous Works

 
MHC
Art & Design Program – MHC

We would like to acknowledge the support of sponsors, including: 

Contact Info
livingroomartdesign@gmail.com
403.529.3959
Address
399 College Ave SE
Medicine Hat, AB - Canada
T1A 3Y6
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