This is a piece-in-progress, entitled "Julian's Impressions For The Young." It is a conceptual portrait inspired by Phrazes for the Young, the solo debut from Julian Casablancas, lead singer of The Strokes. I'll further explain the concept once the piece is complete.
This piece is the first step in the new direction I'm taking my work. I've recently been influenced by Japanese pop art and how it tackles the issues of Japanese culture, especially youth culture, headfirst without fear. I'm 23 and I realized that I'm at a stage in my life where I want to capture the world around like these Japanese pop artists and translate it into the conceptual-type work that I love doing. The isolation, alienation, depression, technology, career direction, monotony, sexuality, self-destruction, sense of purpose and all the other issues with being a 20-something in America are all things I'm approaching in my new work. I'm also designing a website to go with these new pieces. Hopefully all of this can be complete by late December/early January so it will be ready for launch.
Also, I've been asked if I'm still doing the 100 Portraits Series. The answer is: yes! That very series is what inspired me to take a break and create this new work. I will be posting more of the 100 Portraits in between projects.
I'm really excited about this new work that I'm doing...and I hope you'll enjoy the journey too.
