artsy forager

Tag: Shawn Huckins

  • Artsy Lately: Shawn Huckins, American _Tier

    Artsy Lately: Shawn Huckins, American _Tier

    Being out here in the Northwest versus growing up in Florida, I’ve gotten more of a sense of  what it would have been like to see this wild and glorious country for the first time.  It is difficult in this day to comprehend the hardship and sluggishness of that world.  How it could take weeks, even months to convey the simplest of communications.  In his latest series of paintings, American _Tier, Denver artist Shawn Huckins explores the juxtaposition of the artwork of the 19th century in America versus our 21st century technology-driven vocabulary.

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    Judging from the names they gave some of the places out here, such as Cape Disappointment and Dismal Nitch, I can imagine Lewis & Clark would have been texting WTF all over the place during their expedition.  Huckins’ series surely brings to mind the evolution of language between then and now, especially in our written communications.  I find it interesting to think about how people are the same as they were then, in their feelings and emotions, what has changed is in mode and frequency in which those emotions are expressed.

    To see more of Shawn Huckins‘ work, please visit his website.  Prints of selected pieces of the American _Tier series are available through Shawn’s website, as well!

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • 2G2B4G: Shawn Huckins

    2G2B4G: Shawn Huckins

    Just in case you don’t speak text short-hand, 2G2B4G = too good to be forgotten.  Which very aptly describes the work of today’s artist, Denver’s Shawn Huckins.  The artist’s current series, An American Revolution Revolution combines 18th Century American portraiture with 21st Century lexicons such as tweet and text acronyms, creating diverting and provocative images.

    Vanderlyn's Secret Obsession, Talk Dirty to Me by Shawn Huckins
    Vanderlyn’s Secret Obsession, Talk Dirty to Me, acrylic and pencil on canvas, 30×36
    Dorothy Quincy: Don't U Realize Dat I Only Txt U Wen Im Drunk by Shawn Huckins
    Dorothy Quincy: Don’t U Realize Dat I Only Txt U Wen Im Drunk, acrylic on canvas, 34×44

    Like the historical portraits he uses in his work, the text slang has become a part of our own period in history.  Will we still be using this jargon to communicate in a hundred years?  Or will future generations look back and see us as stodgy, stuffy, and hopelessly formal?  Hard to believe that we could denigrate any further than we have, but perhaps our ancestors thought they were just as hip and happening as we believe ourselves to be.

    The Transient State of Mr. Rice, acrylic and pencil on canvas, 22×28

    My first thought when looking at this series was similarities between traditional portraiture, often created as a remembrance of a certain person for a special occasion, and our modern obsession with texting and tweeting, and the impressions and memories of ourselves we are creating.

    Young Girl with Dog and Bird- Sorry to Tell You, But Your Girlfriend Looks Like a Farm Animal by Shawn Huckins
    Young Girl with Dog and Bird- Sorry to Tell You, But Your Girlfriend Looks Like a Farm Animal, acrylic on canvas, 32×40
    Verplank's Post on American Moralism: Like Duh, Obviously, It's a Complete Waste of Time by Shawn Huckins
    Verplank’s Post on American Moralism: Like Duh, Obviously, It’s a Complete Waste of Time, acrylic on canvas, 40×53

    I’m not sure I would want to be remembered for my texts.  Would you?  To see more of Shawn Huckins’ work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.