Collect and obsess over what you want. Admit and celebrate being addicted to whatever you need to find those moments of escape. Build your false idols with pride not shame.
A brand new collection of works about the obsessions we compulsively collect and obsess over or in our our current lives and the memories of things we followed as children as panted into fantastic into idols and monuments as POSITIVE VICES.
These obsessions are brought to life and exaggerated to become giant structures and entire environments actively being constructed and explored…even worshiped by tiny characters who represents the conscience of an individuals as well as the masses of the population who worship each subject in modern pop culture. Like current the towering Statue of Unity in India, the Statue of Liberty in New York City, Mount Rushmore and towering modern marvels we cling to in awe today as well as the ancient structures like the pyramids – we humans are driven to create idols.
Frida X Dia De Los Muertos Group Show (pop-up) Where? Rebel Rebel Gallery in Alto, New Mexico When? November 1st, 2019
Icon Group Show (pop-up) Where? Rebel Rebel Gallery in Alto, New Mexico When? 2020 (DTBD)
Erotica: Art of Sex & Fetish Group Show (pop-up) Where? Rebel Rebel Gallery in Alto, New Mexico When? 2020 (DTBD)
Contact the Gallery for details on POP-UP show locations – or sign up to my newsletter for a private viewing! Artwork will be uploaded to this page after each show reception.
As children we stared at the clouds and our environment and saw our imaginations come to life. When storms came we envisioned the dark events that rippled and lit up the sky and scared us with lightening, filling us with dread. We watched the sun rise and paint the world in deep, lush colour and the sun set deepening the world to dark reds. We were in awe and content and inspired by the world we inhabited.
As we grew into adults we lost our interest in seeing beyond ourselves and took what was presented at face value. We began to forget or care about the world and its other inhabitants as our greed for the materialistic and self worth dominated our growth. We embraced industry and smog in exchange for open fields and bright skies. We lusted over capital and our own image over the simplicity and beauty of nature and who we were as humans. We drowned and blinded ourselves with small screens, large screens, ear phones, entertainment, vice and all forms of technology to feel more connected and fulfilled while ignoring those around us and their ability to give us a deeper connection being alive. Now we ignore that wonder we saw as children and are obsessed only with how others perceive us.
This collections hopes to explore this sad loss of wonder with visions of imagination, dreams, life, death and nightmares juxtaposed against common sky-scapes (‘Above’) and landscapes (‘Below’) we see every day. And hopefully in doing so bring us a little closer to the world we ignore or destroy by unlocking that forgotten wonder.
As Above, So Below is a collection which unites many of my personal fascinations as a visual artist for the living, the dead and staged landscapes in a surrealist fashion. It also lets me express my love for animals and the natural world and my disappointment with humanity as I try to raise two daughters in it who are already becoming lost in technology and our modern fast paced lives.
Completed Paintings
Soft Cloud 1 (2019) 12×9 inches Acrylic on wood with UV Polymer Varnish
Soft Cloud 2 (2019) 12×9 inches Acrylic on wood with UV Polymer Varnish
Rainy Cloud 1 (2019) 12×9 inches Acrylic on wood with UV Polymer Varnish
Night Cloud 1 (2019) 12×9 inches Acrylic on wood with UV Polymer Varnish
Below Examples: Land
Wet Land 1 (2019) 12×9 inches Acrylic on wood with UV Polymer Varnish Matched cloud from “Soft Cloud 1”
Urban Street 1 (2019) 12×9 inches Acrylic on wood with UV Polymer Varnish Matched cloud from “Soft Cloud 2”
Farm Land 1 (2019) 12×9 inches Acrylic on wood with UV Polymer Varnish Matched cloud from “Rainy Cloud 1”
Night Forest 1 (2019) 12×9 inches Acrylic on wood with UV Polymer Varnish Matched cloud from “Night Cloud 1”
“Theme Parks & Landmarks” Collection (Formerly “The World Rediscovered Collection”) is a collection of paintings by Artist Todd Lawson. The series is a collection of visual scapes of theme parks (like Walk Disney World) and known landmarks and locations we as a culture vacation in to create memories. These places are reimagined in the distant future where they are rediscovered by a new community of beings. The works are both a narrative story and a metaphor of the staying power of the places we visit. A positive statement of the staying power these places hold in our lives and the memories we create.
The series allows me to bring my love for science fiction, pulp art and fantasy. Mixing realism and the surreal.
PRESS: Though the work is still in progress it has recently been published and featured in 1340 International Art Magazine ( Q4 2019 Issue)
The Visitor (36″ x 48″ + Floater Frame)
Visitors Board Union Station (60″ x 40″ + Floater Frame)
Visitors Board Union Station (60″ x 40″ + Floater Frame)
Visitors Climb Parliament Hill (Framed in white floater frame) 30×40 Inches, Acrylic on Reinforced Wood Panel with UV Polymer Varnish
Visitors Relight Peggy’s Cove (Framed in white floater frame) 30×40 Inches, Acrylic on Reinforced Wood Panel with UV Polymer Varnish
One Hand In The Future (Framed in white floater frame) 4×3 feet, Acrylic on Reinforced Wood Panel with UV Polymer Varnish
Visitors Walk The Strip (Framed in white floater frame) 4×3 feet, Acrylic on Reinforced Wood Panel with UV Polymer Varnish
Visitors At The Gate 4×3 feet, Acrylic on Reinforced Wood Panel with UV Polymer Varnish
Revel In The Maker’s Wake 4×3 feet, Acrylic on Reinforced Wood Panel with UV Polymer Varnish
Family Photo 1 Small painting based on a real family photo – with my children replaced with “Visitors”
4″x4″ Wood Panel with UV Polymer Varnish.
Family Photo 2 Small painting based on a real family photo – with my wife and children replaced with “Visitors”