The New American Standard Painting

I spent the better part of 2020’s wave of lockdowns in the eye of the storm, relatively unscathed. Much of the year was spent in a bit of a mini-Renaissance, especially with watercolors. I even went so far as to pioneer my own art style called La Biologique, which is based on a heavy use of wash and iridescent duotones of Cadmium and Ultramarine. I even expanded into large 18 x 24 inch canvases to give my newfound experiments in pointillism more room to breathe.

Unlike the rest of the my abstract work, The New American Standard is what I would consider my first true piece of political commentary. I’ll spare you my beliefs and politics (as I plan on being an infinitely employable Artisan), but I will say that your environment absolutely influences your art.

I know this intimately because The New American Standard was crafted and completed in the middle of the George Floyd Protests. And by middle – I mean I painted as legions several-thousand strong took to the streets and shook the building with their voices long into the uneasy night. Thusly inspired… and since the whole of Chicago couldn’t focus on anything else, I knew what very concrete ideal I wanted this abstract work to evoke.

The New American Standard is, quite simply, a painting of the American Flag.