Lance Myers
I have recently been alternating between still life and figurative painting. To me the still life allows a stable, relatively neutral foundation on which to explore stylistic variations of the basic elements of design. Through such exploration I have found that I am drawn to bright, bold imagery that explodes to fill the canvas. Like the Dutch Baroque, I frequently include insects. Mine are usually imaginary, sometimes grotesque exaggerations of actual insects injecting an element of surprise and subversion.
The people in my work usually appear caught up in some private moment of reflection creating an intimate, almost voyeuristic connection between viewer and subject. This suspended stillness lends a contemplative sense of resolve to the composition and perhaps mirrors our own gaze as we look on.
The Dutch Baroque painters of still life frequently included insects as symbolic elements. I, too, like to paint tiny creatures. Mine are usually imaginary, sometimes grotesque exaggerations of actual insects injecting an element of surprise and subversion. They act as a kind of counterbalance or foil to the elegance of the florae.
The titles I choose are often bombastic and overwrought, partly to diffuse the formality inherent in the subject matter, but they also add an additional layer of meaning. I’ve always loved what James Rosenquist and Damien Hirst do with their titles.
Lance Myers has been a professional artist, writer, and animator for over twenty years. His work can be seen in the feature films Space Jam, Anastasia, Quest for Camelot, Prince of Egypt, and Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly. Myers has also written and directed seven award-winning animated short films, many which have shown on HBO, MTV, Adult Swim, PBS, and Canada's Movieola. Myers is currently the lead animator at Stoic Studio in Austin and teaches the art of 2D animation at the University of Texas.
Submitted by Wally Workman Gallery
