fig. 1
A Symphony of Development & Talents
The series idea was one huge cornerstone image that showcased the scale of work the company I was part of had done as well as some pageantry; and a smaller tryptic that alluded to the types of work that were done (Commercial, Multi-Family, & Construction; the Industrial was covered by the cornerstone piece). The company colors of gold & blue/black mixed with the symphonic metaphor of shadows, parking, and trailers as beats, notes & piano keys played throughout.
fig. 2
Visual Melody & Subtext
Using shadows to purposely but subtly drive the geometry, zones and leading lines of the composition was the goal. Working to give a 20th Century Fox spotlight vibe of importance complete with stars, gold & a crown allusion of apartments on the top. All the while keeping to the core imagery of industrial construction, warehouses, & all the visual tropes of development to keep the point clear at first and even second glance. I wanted the majority of the subtext to be invisible to most viewers without art/design backgrounds.
fig. 3
Staccato Repetition & Blueprints
You don’t see ghostly powder blueprints much anymore in building but I wanted to allude to that with the “Construction” piece, except in rust red as opposed to blue. The staccato rhythm of the supports propping up the left side of the artwork as if the negative space outside the work was heavy and unstable. Using the smaller people and equipment to give the buildings a grander scale.
fig. 4
Polke & Rauschenberg
I have always loved the overlapping, graphic, translucent, dot gain grain work of Sigmar Polke & Robert Rauschenberg and that was without a question sitting in the back of my mind with all of these, especially the “Construction” piece (which you are not supposed to have favorite children but this is one of them, everything just seemed to work right here). The slight yellow offset to give that handmade serigraph quality and a bit of a nod to old school 3d images worked really well for me along with all the repeating lines & faint colors.
fig. 5
Rosenquist & Hockney
Multifamily units often work to create a feeling of escape and relaxation to depressurize from a work and personal life that is full of stress and drama. I have done many photoshoots with that in mind and used them to give that Rosenquist & Hockney plastic, mass production, green plants and blue water Americana vibe in the “Multi-Family” piece. Vertical buildings that warp space and time to create a bubble of peace and luxury often times far from real peace and luxury.
fig. 6
Inception of Home
When you have to mix verticals with horizontal in a limited space sometimes you have to bend the mind of the viewer to place with space and time. Using the road system and anchoring it with a single building the attempt was to give the entire work a bent kaleidoscope feeling where an adult childhood mixed together.
fig. 7
Edging the Idea
When I can do it I like to try to design the edges of works in a way that if they were tessellated they would create an interesting work all their own, a work that isn’t seen unless you mentally fold it yourself ala Al Jaffee. This helps me keep the edges from getting disjointed or boring while adding a bit of fun sometimes. I can’t always pull it off but I try whenever possible.
fig. 8
Mixing Reality with Renders
In development the line between real and render increasingly gets blurred and I wanted to hide a nod to that in the “Commerical” piece. The harder of the series to make work I hid a 3d office illustration inside the commercial space in such a way as to see if it would go unnoticed.
fig. 9
Saint Louis
Needless to say, all of these are inspired by, and rooted in, St. Louis. Not least of which is the Old Courthouse or Civil Courts Building modeled after the tomb of King Mausolus. St. Louis is a wonderful mix of good and bad to inspire all sorts of visual debates about growth/decay, poor /rich, old/new, art/commerce, & many many more. I have always loved working to build this city deeper and anew in a way that is sustainable and hoped this series would capture that as well.
