EAT YOUR HEART OUT!
This project was created as my final capstone to achieve my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from UW-Eau Claire. Inspired by the idea to mix typography and painting, I looked to artists of the past to help me create work centered in the present. Some artists/movements who helped inform my work and acted as my guiding lights: Corita Kent, Michel Majerus, James Rosenquist, Pop Art, Ed Ruscha, Uncredited billboard painters of the 20th Century, and Andy Warhol.
I continue to write down words and phrases that capture my attention today, and I hope to continue projects similar to my capstone in the future.
THE ARTIST STATEMENT
My project, titled Eat Your Heart Out, Daniel Reich, is a series of typographic still lifes inspired by the world around me, the phrases that intrigue me and made me want to dedicate a gallery space to them. I chose words I was struck by; words I saw on billboards, heard in song lyrics, on television, anything that caught my eyes and ears. These phrases have been chaotically cataloged on my phone and in the margins of my sketchbooks for the last five years. From there, I spent hours arranging the words in dynamic compositions, layering them on one another, and letting chance establish new contexts. I hope the audience finds their own meaning in these works and the relationships they build between these pieces.
I love words, and I want other people to see the interest that I see in them. I thought, “if classic artists can endlessly paint fruits and dead fish on tablecloths in elegant corners of dingy studios, why can’t I dedicate my time to paint words with the same reverence and affection?” This project is my indulgence in the words and phrases that tease and seduce me. I’m selfish and self-centered, sometimes; I am enamored by my own temptations. Why feel guilty for giving in?
IN PROGRESS
Below are some pictures of works in progress, including a snapshot of a piece not included in the final lineup. Pieces were haphazardly taped to the wall, the projector was then aimed and cast, and paint was then applied. It was quite a frustrating process at times, but ultimately, rewarding in the end.
