I’ve just entered my painting, “Status Quo,” into the Paul Frank Art Attack Contest.  It’s a great contest with entries from all over the country vying for a full page ad spot in JUXTAPOZ magazine.  I think my piece is strong and has as much of a shot as anyone else.  Please take a second to check out my entry and rate it…. (think 5 out of 5!)

http://www.paulfrank.com/art_attack/rate/entry/829

There are tons of great pieces on the site and it’s definitely worth your while to check out some of the emerging talents from all over… just start with mine!

Here’s the piece I entered:

Status Quo, acrylic, spraypaint and gold leaf on wood, 48 x 37, 2009.

I really like this piece.  It fits into my ‘Ode to Roman Gods’ series by utilizing the four stencils I used for each of those paintings.  I first prepared and painted the background with acrylic washes.  Then I used the four Latin sayings  in order; used all the stencils three times over, still in order.   This created a dense web of lettering that blended with the background and came into view in the lower part of the painting.  (It was time consuming to say the least, but it was a Zen process that I got into. )  Then, I added the stencil of my Sad Coffee Cup… he gave the title it’s context.  Next, was the eponymous stencil, ‘Status Quo.’  The gold leaf border was added before the final hand painting.  Finally, I painted the multi-colored spheres emanating out of the cup like so much abstract steam.

For more about the Latin sayings, check out this previous post: An Ode to Roman Gods.

Is it about the economy?  Politics?  Something in my personal life?  Is is a rhetorical question?  Or a statement of fact?

Yes.

Plus, it looks awesome…