Through the Zit on My Shoulder

| Micah Lomel

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This piece has a more comedic sensibility and slightly different style from my other pieces so far. I wanted to create an image for how one might enter this limbo. I used the idea or distraction again and then brought in some wonderland-esque themes by turning the aforementioned zit into a manhole that you’re prompted to enter. I’m implying a sequence of time through my methods: the title implies that the viewer was distracted by a blemish on their shoulder, then the rendering of everything as lightly blurred implies that loss of focus while the central point of the man whole implies this transformation over time of the distraction becoming an escape.

Limbo 1

| Micah Lomel

My first piece for the senior series. I’m focusing on the word Limbo,  what it represents, it’s historical definition, what it means to me, and how it looks on a 2D plane. _MG_5471

This piece represents limbo as space between moments, locations, materials, etc. Using the diptych style emphasizes this idea by creating a physical “space between” while also representing a lapse in time (from walking into the water to drifting in it). And of course, the girl is lingering in the water, breaking the line between the water and air.

I was inspired by the times I’ve floated in the water and allowed myself to travel to a distracted place, forgetting time and obligation. I view this place of distraction as euphoric yet dangerous. Limbo is a glowing red trap, in a way.

New Oyster pieces

| Micah Lomel

I just finished a mini series of oyster pieces. These new ones are in acrylic instead of oil, they turned out significantly more vibrant and graphic. I wanted to experiment with varied color pallets and a much more holistic sense of movement within each piece.  Of course, none of these paintings are of oysters at this point, more like texture studies from that original imagery. I enjoy the ambiguity of these pieces, and how viewers can find symbols of their own imagining in the patterns of form.

Spanx GIF final

| Micah Lomel

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Artist Statement:

This piece was a lighthearted attempt to showcase the irony that over 50% of girls my age own a pair of Spanx yet most wouldn’t openly admit to wearing them and are expected to wear something closer to a thong. It’s an odd balance to think about. These “promiscuous college years” of ours are layered with body image issues and elevated expectations of conformity. I’m amused to think that we are in our physical primes yet still ever so slightly ashamed. How will we feel towards ourselves a few years from now when our skin in a little looser and metabolisms slower?

Funerary Figure

| Micah Lomel

This is my latest painting for class. The piece was based on the idea of a young girl who doesn’t understand death being forced to go to a funeral. There is taboo in her expression of annoyance even though the ceremony means nothing for her.

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32″ x 46″| Oil on Canvas|2018

Presley 1

| Micah Lomel

I think in many ways Presley’s a product of the path I’ve carved. People compare our looks and personalities so much that she’s always had to deal with my impression. As a result she holds herself to my standard, despite the 7 year age difference. Close as we are, the age gap is a divide in our relationship. I wanted these pictures to meld together to the point that some outsiders might think it’s always the same person. There are always two images and we are almost always the same age but you can never see both faces in one piece, making it hard to distinguish us. The pictures document her life, my life, and the suggested overlap. I wanted to communicating the glitch in that comparison.

Assignment for Sketchbook Development spring-2018