Artist Statement

People are not always who they say they are. Everyone seems to try on different appearances at some time in their life, to escape the imperfection, to become someone they think others will like better, or to hide their true emotions. Life is not perfect; something you realize as soon as you know that you are gay.

My drawings are presented in the style of a diary. They are small, intimate figurative drawings with text based on my life. They originate in volumes of bound books, but each page is an independent piece of the others, so they become a series of prints. My work shows sarcasm and humor but is also thoughtful. It is not about being obvious or forceful. I am more interested in conveying a sense of authenticity and genuineness. The drawing’s imperfections give the feeling that they are private, meant only for the author.

Each figure is based on a real person, many of them existing as self-portraits. They each wear t-shirts depicting an image that gives clues to their personality or my thoughts on their character. Their round heads evoke the photo booths at carnivals, where anyone can step around to the back and stick their heads through a hole, where a life size figure is painted on the front: thus becoming someone else (the most typical example is a muscle man holding a huge amount of weight in one hand and a beautiful woman in the other). I have taken this format and simplified it to make the viewers more inclined to picture themselves in the figures place. The t-shirts that the figures wear in my drawings are in production, so the diaries are not only for collecting; now the viewers can participate. Either by wearing the art or be becoming one of the characters.

Greg Clodfelter

 

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