because they always look like they're going somewhere!

 

During my education as an artist, I was discouraged from move toward humor. The idea of approaching "serious art" with humor is not unknown; but it is rare. When I think about many of my teachers, it does seem that their own art did, at some point, have a lot of humor in it. As a student, the brooding abstract expressionists were seen as the the successful model for a student to follow. I wonder if humor requires representational art. Are there any funny abstract expressionist paintings?

 

I have been running into art which has been labeled "low-brow" and "pop-surrearism." It has many of it's roots growing out of underground cartooning and animation. There is an innocent, funny, nostalgic surface to the art; but it has a sad and dark core.

This suite of digital drawings has a somber color palette and they are rendered with mostly soft unexpressive lines ( the last three are moving toward a stronger outline and sunnier tones); but it is the absurdity of the implied enigmatic situations that adds a wry tickle. I would say these images are more representative of how my brain feels to works - narrative, cartoony, and maybe a bit stylistically scattered. That's me alright!

Ernie Kwiat 6.5.05