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Description
While I was digging for inspiration, I came across an amazing designer on Instagram - Redaggio - and was mesmerized by this mask he created. The incredible combination of elements, from butterflies to flowers, all came together beautifully in an elegant, decadent design. I was also taken by the expression of the model wearing his own creation. To me the pose felt quiet and withdrawn - a stark contrast to the mask itself. I was thinking about how we all wear masks every day and choose which sides of ourselves to present to the world, and as artists, we carefully curate our ideas for viewers to digest in our work. But often there is more going on - in our work and within ourselves - than what meets the eye.

The Masks We Wear series

The paintings in this series portray diverse figures who thrive within the outskirts of mainstream society despite being regarded as invisible by the conservative patriarchy. The expressive application of paint gives the subjects a bold physicality and undeniable presence while the gestural, emotive marks suggest their resounding humanity. Masks, often tools for disguise, take on a metaphorical role that connect the models to a greater narrative, engaging a dialogue of identity, otherness, and personal mythology. My treatment of form explores both reality and abstraction, engaging color, shape, and pattern to continuously deconstruct and rebuild. The painterly surface becomes a mask in itself - the visceral, emotive marks reduce the literalness of the depiction while invoking a more substantive connection to the figure and their story.

The Masks We Wear exhibit is on display at Not Sheep Gallery in Columbus, Ohio during the month of October, 2019. For purchase inquires, please contact the gallery director Caren Peterson at caren@notsheepgallery.com or by phone at 614-565-0314. Limited-edition prints are available at paulrichmondstudio.com .

Description
While I was digging for inspiration, I came across an amazing designer on Instagram - Redaggio - and was mesmerized by this mask he created. The incredible combination of elements, from butterflies to flowers, all came together beautifully in an elegant, decadent design. I was also taken by the expression of the model wearing his own creation. To me the pose felt quiet and withdrawn - a stark contrast to the mask itself. I was thinking about how we all wear masks every day and choose which sides of ourselves to present to the world, and as artists, we carefully curate our ideas for viewers to digest in our work. But often there is more going on - in our work and within ourselves - than what meets the eye.

The Masks We Wear series

The paintings in this series portray diverse figures who thrive within the outskirts of mainstream society despite being regarded as invisible by the conservative patriarchy. The expressive application of paint gives the subjects a bold physicality and undeniable presence while the gestural, emotive marks suggest their resounding humanity. Masks, often tools for disguise, take on a metaphorical role that connect the models to a greater narrative, engaging a dialogue of identity, otherness, and personal mythology. My treatment of form explores both reality and abstraction, engaging color, shape, and pattern to continuously deconstruct and rebuild. The painterly surface becomes a mask in itself - the visceral, emotive marks reduce the literalness of the depiction while invoking a more substantive connection to the figure and their story.

The Masks We Wear exhibit is on display at Not Sheep Gallery in Columbus, Ohio during the month of October, 2019. For purchase inquires, please contact the gallery director Caren Peterson at caren@notsheepgallery.com or by phone at 614-565-0314. Limited-edition prints are available at paulrichmondstudio.com .