Art, Identity, and the Human Experience
Go at the rear of the scenes with Omar Lawson, an enjoyable new expertise whose unique strategy to portraiture is capturing the art world’s consideration.
The 1st point you discover about Omar Lawson’s artwork is the grand scale. At six ft tall, his portraits have a body weight and presence all their own.
But it quickly turns into apparent that Lawson’s portraits are not only daily life-sized they are more substantial than everyday living. His daring use of shade and dynamic composition transports the viewer from an artwork gallery into a shared human experience. Lawson’s portraits at the same time seize an individual’s one of a kind identity and the common human expertise.
Relevant: Making Art That Sparks Conversation
Q&A with Omar Lawson
In this short Q&A, we share a glimpse into Omar Lawson’s function and tactic to portraiture. To just take a further dive, be a part of our next Illuminate party, where we’ll peek inside of his studio and chat about his life, art, and operating methods.
Q: What do you locate most persuasive about portray portraits?
Generating anything that numerous people can recognize with—while also figuring out there is an person out there who perceives my generation as a illustration of their identity—is unbelievably satisfying. Nevertheless portraiture headlines my paintings, the target is usually on the collective narrative.
Q: You paint with oils, acrylics, and collaged aspects. What are the advantages and problems of each individual medium and how do you decide which to use for a painting?
The motive I get the job done in mixed media is so that I can skip over all the difficulties and shortcomings of each individual medium and seriously perform to their strengths. I exclusively paint the pores and skin and hair with oils since the gradual dry time allows me to seriously outline the physical attributes of my products which is essential to portraying their identities as people. On the other hand, the mediums that I used to develop the clothes and spaces that my figures occupy are picked out the moment that I make your mind up to operate on them.
Each final decision informs the future and even although performing this way can make every single portray experience like a visible check, it is my way of participating with the function and continuing to boost my conclusion generating skills.
Q: What is a thing new you are hunting to discover in your artwork?
I have begun to combine perforated or “dotted” strains into my get the job done. These are normally used in early childhood education and learning to teach small children how to write letters and symbols that they will carry on to use in the course of their training and day-to-day life.
I program to use the perforated line in my get the job done as a car or truck for my commentary on the schooling that we get outside of the school method within just principles such as tradition, societal norms, and nuanced encounters.
For additional from Omar Lawson, be part of us for Making Art That Sparks Discussion, a reside on-line party completely for Artists Network users.
Examine more about Omar Lawson’s Liquitex artist residency or abide by him on TikTok.
