Brian Axtell [NRA 2023]

First name: Brian ;
Middle name:  ;
Last name: Axtell ;

Member: Non-resident Artist member ; 
Begin: 2023 ;
End: n/a ;

Biography:

My work is inspired by my love for human anatomy and human psychology. It explores themes of vulnerability, loneliness and the search for meaning the exists at a time of increasing division. The figures I paint serve as a vessel for capturing this underlying tension. They are meant to feel both together yet apart. 

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I paint these figures from life and enjoy hiring multiple people who have never met and capturing the tension and awkwardness of their nude encounter. This tension creates the kind of energy that fuels the current themes in my work. Dramatic cool and warm color accents help create the kind of ‘fleshiness’ that I love and aims to give these figures an honest and revealing quality.