At first when deciding to become an artist professionally, my main drives were to validate the function of geometric shapes,  and to use colors I was blind to, to confirm validation for my color deficient self. The formula for TENxTENxTEN’s volume of work divided by the similarity of the same Mickey face equaled an equation that would have to further my drive beyond geometry. I had to work deeper, and therefore went to nostalgia (hence the Children of the 1980’s series creation)

When experimenting with No. 48 “Pink Bermuda”, I focused on George J. Sowden’s “Acapulco Clock, it opened up a vast interest of not only him, but the “Memphis Milano” collective he was a part of. Ettore Sottsass, the founder of Memphis Milano,  shaped the way the 1980’s were worn and lived in. His style impacted the world, and earthquaked a fashion trend that saturated the planet in controlled chaos.

This piece, entitled “Memphis Milano Mickey’, was inspired by the French designer Nathalie Du Pasquier, who was the cutting edge force behind the aesthetics of the 1980’s. In this painting, I focused on my strength in geometric shapes fashioned against mismatched patterns of pink, green, aqua blue, and yellow. Mickey and the achromatic scales here are the anchors to the color storm, fixating himself as a object of safety and sanity in a world that, at any minute, could spin out of control into oblivion.

This is the 8th piece of the “Children of the 1980’s Series” and the 56th of the TENxTENxTEN collection.

Tags: 1980, ettore sottsass, memphis milano, nathalie du pasquier, nostalgia, textiles, trends