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Pete Mauney - Title: Logics of Logistics, 2022
What first drew me to this piece of artwork was the exposure and light. When looking at it, it has a very sci-fi effect on it, like through the use of long exposure where there are light grids in the sky. But yet, it’s not sci-fi, as it has box containers and a rusted sign for a demolition company in the lower left and right-hand corners. Mauney used light patterns to create art.
The piece is part of his “Airplanes” series and this photo was taken near Newark Airport in Newark, NJ. Some of previous work, “Fireflies,” played with long exposure. But in this series “Airplanes,” he uses even longer exposures to capture the flight paths of the planes. He is able to capture geometric patterns and shapes with light. In areas where there is little human activity, he tracks light distortion through his art - the light distortion from the planes flying overhead and the light from car headlights. Within the long exposure, if you zoom in and track the individual light path, while some have colors, like green, red, or blue, but the streaks are broken up with white light. It gives it a very geometric and abstract look. And I also find it interesting that you can essentially track a flight path from just the light it emits as it moves across the sky. Another element that attracted me to this piece was the movement of the stars in the photo. While they are faint, you can see them as they track across the sky and it reveals the movement of the earth as it rotates. A photo, something that is still, captured all this movement. It seems counterintuitive but Mauney captured it all.
It also made me think about the impact of humanity - how we are bustling from one place to another and you can see our impact through light itself. There’s a range of emotions that are evoked when examining this photo. For me, I thought about our carbon footprint and how restless we are. We can literally see the representation of how much we are on the move merely through light exposure and the light pollution from our restlessness.
-Norman Rockwell -
I find his subject matter to be very diverse but there is always an element of nostalgia and simplicity to his works. Rockwell’s scenes vary from comical to social commentary. The tones of his works are simplistic, they are very detailed in their formal qualities but also quite deep in the narratives in each piece. Rockwell is a controversial artist in some ways because he was in the marketing world of creating pieces for The Saturday Evening Post. Since the pieces were created for commercial purposes, some folks disregard his talent. This is truer then than it is now. This inspiration I draw from Rockwell is the connection he has with his audience about memory, nostalgia, and growing up. He is able to convey narratives that a vast majority of folks can connect with and have an emotional impact on the viewer. Below is one of my favorite painting of his.
-Keith Haring -
I draw inspiration from Keith Haring because I also tend to gravitate toward line work and find how he twists and modifies pop culture symbols interesting. Haring also utilizes simplistic patterns but uses variation of line and color to create images and pieces that convey movement and fluidity while still maintaining a 2D element. Haring creates characters that have a psychedelic element to them, something that also often appears in my works. Haring’s use of negative space around his characters is just as intriguing as the characters themselves. I also like to play with negative space and try to have that speak to my audience, too.
-Tony Fitzpatrick-
Tony Fitzpatrick is a former tattoo artist who is inspired by street art. Much of Fitzpatrick’s work can be classified as puzzling with intricate and colorful line work. What I find inspiring about Fitzpatrick’s work is the detail, which is often elaborate, especially around the figures he includes in his works. I can see his gestural marks with his very detailed, sketchy marks within his works. These marks are something I really resonate with and try to incorporate into my pieces. Also, Fitpatrick’s use of color intrigues me. While the base seems to often use neutral colors, he also uses bright and bold colors. Fitzpatrick’s figures have a cartoon-like quality even though his paintings are flat. However, because there is so much going on, it can be difficult to concentrate on each figure without being drawn to another.
I think Tony Fitzpatrick and I are similar in how we both emphasize precision of line and drawing cartoon-like influences. He also plays with absurdity, with what these figures show and the action taking place within each piece. However, Fitzpatrick is able to layer multiple, if not dozens of figures on a piece without detracting or distorting them to all fit together cohesively.
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