The first art critic blog has to be a visual artist. For more than one reason. The artist that I'm looking at is Sage Vaughn, an urban contemporary artist whose paintings inspire and are very expressive. His works are similar to Banksy, looking unfinished... with conviction. What I mean by this is that there is a lack of detail that only furthers the type of media that is used. Sage Vaughn uses recycled materials and the final outcome looks like a finished, cohesive and relatively aged with through the use of abstract painting approaches. The washes on both his "Wildlives" and his "Wildlife" series have minimal detail, brining all the detail to the figure. Which all the peices have one figure of focus, be it a child or a bird on a chain link fence.
The choice of colour bring cohesiveness to each piece, almost looking like pastel. All of the elements work together to capture a unified feeling. For example, in his painting titled "Sleepwalker."
This painting simply translates to me as the stereotypical view of childhood. Bright use of primary colours, whimsical pose and implied innocence. This is countered by that almost morbid use of the dripping "red" paint and the little girl's dark face. I feel a connection with the oxymoronic feeling that describes the way an urban childhood really is. Not entirely innocent, yet not hell (the implied background gives me this feeling)
The composition excites me. Look at the vertical elements and the ambiguity of space. The abstract building in the background balances nicely with the detailed figure in the foreground. But where is the figure? She is obviously standing on a platform in the foreground, but the faint background seems flat, driving you to oppose placing yourself within the painting.
I believe that sage's art relates to a large audience because of the use of human figures, abstract imagery and familiar details. As humans, we can relate to another human just by our form. And the use of children furthers the audience a younger crowd, that as well as everyones nolstalgia of being a child. The abstract imagery with minimal detail simply implies, allowing the viewer not to work too hard.
Here are some other paintings by Sage Vaughn:
