Figurative Portr8s
Investigating the evolution of dance worship has been greatly influential to my artworks, noticing interesting comparisons across history. Dance worship origins would be for reasons such as fertility/rain dances while in modern day ravers hail an elevated a DJ ‘God like’ figure and every sound they play.
The First Dance conveys how the first forms of life would appear dancing in a rave under a microscope, using a monochromatic colour palette whereas Heads and Tails uses lots of colour to portray a modern day version inspired by digital technology used in clubs. Abstracted bodies through simple squiggled lines suggest a sense of pre-development, before the human body has evolved.
Dancing Heads Series
The First Dance (2021) (left)
Biro, spray, acrylic and emulsion paint, filler and oil stick on wood
122cm x 80cm
Heads and Tails (2021) (right)
Biro, spray and emulsion paint, silicone and oil stick on wood
122cm x 80cm
Detail shot of The First Dance
Detail shot of Heads and Tails
Detail shot of Heads and Tails
The Dancing Heads series stemmed the illustrations below, using negative spaces in these shapes to suggest facial features.
The pulses of colour are representative of strobe lights in a rave and expression marks are used to accentuate the figures’ dance energy.
Stay Grooving (2020)
Biro, spray paint and oil pastel on paper
21cm x 30cm
Its in your Head (2020)
Biro, spray paint and oil pastel on card
59cm x 42cm
Move your Body (2020)
Biro, spray paint and oil pastel on paper
21cm x 30cm
Here are other artworks presenting rave culture, dance worship and how it makes your body feel after immersing yourself in music; using different styles and techniques.
Through the Night (2021)
Spray and emulsion paint and oil stick on wood
122cm x 80cm
Untitled (2021)
Spray, oil and emulsion paint, oil pastel, charcoal and paint pen on canvas
100cm x 80cm
Flow State (2020)
Spray and acrylic paint, paint pen, acrylic and oil stick on wood
67cm x 65cm
Double Trouble (2021)
Spray and acrylic paint and filler on canvas board with digital edit
30cm x 25cm
We Come 1 (2021)
Acrylic paint, oil pastel and oil stick on canvas
100cm x 80cm