Photography is a universal platform as it can tell a story without using a single word. Newspapers, magazines, and highway billboards are saturated with a kind of visual immediacy that often captures the transience of atmosphere using shadows and light as an emphasis. Using photography as a basis, I create paintings and illustrations based on this beautiful union; I am often inspired by a sense of timelessness only a photograph can reveal. Modernism and the aesthetic values of pop art echo into my process as I believe art may borrow from any source. Sometimes my work illustrates repetition to convey a sense of movement by design. My style indicates vividity of contrasts, colors and structure, allowing the image to evoke a sense of unity, coherence and continuity, rhythm, harmony, and overall organization. Repetition is encoded in the very DNA of my art creating process- practice makes perfect.
My paintings are usually a blend of acrylic paint with applications of oil and pastel; sometimes I incorporate collage elements if I have the necessary mixed media elements. For my illustrations, I use ink and charcoal for a very industrial look and if it needs further development, I blend acrylic with charcoal.
Art making is such an inclusive affair. It is perhaps the one facet of our society that is never exclusive; everyone can create and everyone has a point of view in terms of how they viscerally respond to art. The universality of creativity is what connects us all as fellow wanderers of this amazing world and I thank you for viewing a sampling of my portfolio. My Instagram and Facebook are provided and if ever you're wanting to commission a portrait or if you're needing any aesthetic advice on a project, I look forward to you reaching out.
Education
Northern Arizona University (BFA)
University of Arizona (MFA)
© 2023 by Sean Cannon