Original painting on canvas. Size: 76cm x 51cm

A hand-painted tribalesque double neon skull with airbrushed shadows, created to look as if it's protruding through the canvas. The motif sits within an abstract angular form, over which beautiful hues of cobalt blue have been vigorously painted.

The 'Startled Artist' is an evolving Pop emblem developed as a pictorial device to capture observations and reflections on the current state of both personal and world events. It continues a lineage of motifs from recent art history beginning with Harvey Ball's Smiley Face - created during the optimism of the 60's, Keith Haring's Radiant Baby in the 80's - to Kaws X-eyed Mickey developed in the blissed-out late nineties/early noughties..

The 'Startled Artist' skull motif is the consistent and recognisable form that is positioned over any painting, photograph or video enabling a broad body of works surveying or commenting on a multitude of subjects. It represents the mind - floating through the world while the world floats through the mind..

A universal motif - the skull is seen in art across all human cultures throughout history - and as such acknowledges our shared experience and commonality. To reflect this historical context, the 'Startled Artist' skull has a tribal feel - and the motif has been reduced down to its most simplistic representation - being composed of just four lines.

At the same time, in order to assert that these artworks are created in the present - the skull is rendered as neon. This not only makes the tribal motif contemporary, but also the fact that neon gives off light - symbolises how science, knowledge and art illuminate our lives.

Signed on reverse.

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