“Requium” is a body of work with diverse thoughts and emotions expressed in each painting; meant to mirror life and it’s individualized complexities. This is also represented in pieces that feature the subject characterized more than once. Due to my discomfort with being categorized as “a pretty girl artist” most of the content is attractive women in varied states of conscious and unconscious reflection. I’ve found that often times, the more you distance yourself from something the more connected with it you become. Although I have a deep understanding of what the paintings mean to me, each objects placement, the subject matter and their symbolisms, it’s more important that the viewer connect and find their own personal meaning in each piece. I feel that providing detailed explanations of my intent directs people to how they should feel before experiencing the work and puts a box around how it can be interpreted.
The shows title is in reference to the baroque style of painting and a general loss of honesty in persona and truth in expression. A saying that continuously comes to mind when thinking of the shows content is, I’d rather be genuinely sad than artificially happy.-Drew Merrittdiverse thoughts and emotions expressed in each painting; meant to mirror life and it’s individualized complexities. This is also represented in pieces that feature the subject characterized more than once. Due to my discomfort with being categorized as “a pretty girl artist” most of the content is attractive women in varied states of conscious and unconscious reflection. I’ve found that often times, the more you distance yourself from something the more connected with it you become. Although I have a deep understanding of what the paintings mean to me, each objects placement, the subject matter and their symbolisms, it’s more important that the viewer connect and find their own personal meaning in each piece. I feel that providing detailed explanations of my intent directs people to how they should feel before experiencing the work and puts a box around how it can be interpreted. The shows title is in reference to the baroque style of painting and a general loss of honesty in persona and truth in expression. Asaying that continuously comes to mind when thinking of the shows content is, I’d rather be genuinely sad than artificially happy. –Drew Merritt
