NEW PAINTING | Orange Crush Retrograde
3 panels – each panel measures 23.75″ x 32″ (61cm x 81cm) • oil & acrylic on wood
In late 2009 I started a group of multi-paneled paintings called the Retrograde Series. The paintings are an exploration of the memories, questions, sights, sounds, tastes of my youth, and their juxtaposition against each other, and the world around me decades later.
With Orange Crush Retrograde I dive down that rabbit hole once more. A memory of sitting on a bar stool next to my Grandfather, feet dangling high above the floor drinking an Orange Crush soda, blends with a memory of hearing Madonna tell Dick Clark that she wanted to “rule the world”. I wonder about the long and short term effects of war being a constant backdrop to the American paradigm, and that butts up against the fondness I had for my armies of little plastic men.
The composition is split into panels and cropped to exaggerate the idea that no one part of the composition is supposed to make a clear definitive conclusion about what the images mean as a whole. The hope is that something new exists for each viewer, and it is up to the individual to decide what answers exist within.
(See the first piece in the series, “Bazooka Retrograde”, here)
February 4th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Off the proverbial chain, my friend.
February 9th, 2010 at 3:03 am
Love it..fond memories of fave bubblegum and the comics inside each wrapper. Perfect coloration! Love the concept and can’t wait for more!
February 18th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
A visceral flash! A physiological gush of that ever unique bold pink smell of Bazooka as I would open the wrapper!!!!!!
Would love to have met you and Annie while in B.A. in January…but, alas…did not know of your existence. Tangoed nightly…became friends with a Pakistani diplomat named “Ifti”…and just saw Annie’s comment on his Facebook thread regarding a trip to Paris.
Always in awe of how one meets others! :-)
Wanted to peek at your portrait, but can’t seem to maneuver the page.
Ciao for now.
S
February 18th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Sandra, glad you liked the piece…and it’s too bad we missed you while you were in town. Would have been great to have you over to the gallery and here some of those tango stories. If you’re still curious about the portrait you can check it out here: http://www.jimmydanko.com/