Evan Schwartz – Anniversary Art Exhibition

• Artist Portfolio Magazine
• Evan Schwartz – Brooklyn, NY

Artist Statement

My work embodies a ‘worlds-within-worlds’ effect through mysterious detail and a dense menagerie of both hidden and exposed images. The more viewers engage with the paintings the more the viewers will discover. The outcome of my artworks utilize a mixed media approach-each one containing both collage and acrylic, in addition to any combination of liquid watercolor, printmaking, tissue paper, Deco paint markers, colored pencil, resin, and less traditional materials, such as (but not limited to) costume jewelry, fake fur, acetate, vintage wallpaper, cigarettes, and caution tape. Creating a heightened sense of depth and dimensionality has become especially important to me in my most recent works. To do this, I use papers and boards of varying widths that literally come off the surface, which creates a tactile component to my art. In addition, the bright colors and smooth bottle-like resin finish inherent in my art are similar to the glazed tiles of mosaics. My work possesses a vital dynamic tension between its static and kinetic elements. The subjects in my paintings convey a still calmness, while the world they inhabit overspills with images, colors, words, symbols, nature, urban decay, and other worldly (as well as otherworldly) landscapes.

My work is composed of three main series. My most recent, ‘The Alice Series’, are comprised of dream-like fairy tales revolving around a central female named Alice, who is also my daughter. These six mixed-media paintings explore female empowerment, dreams, initiation, and the subconscious. When creating these artworks, a major influence were fairy tales, such as Alice In Wonderland-where anything can shrink or grow, appear or disappear at will. My ‘Selected Works 2015-2012’ gallery collects scenes that represent the less-desirable human experiences, such as pain and loss, alienation and greed. The ‘Urban Portraits 2015-2013’ gallery, portray middle and high school students I knew while teaching in the South Bronx. The subjects are both specific to their personalities and passions, and archetypal of all those imprisoned in a universe beyond their control. These dynamic portraits make visible what is hidden underneath my subject’s often tough exteriors.