Kate O'Connor
Region: Pacific Coast
My work is inspired by moments from modern life. Whether found ‘IRL’ or online, I translate these observations through oil paint. My neon palette imparts a digital feel that contrasts my expressive brushwork. I use humor to highlight tensions inherent in life, such as the triumph of growing a cherry tomato in a garden in spite of aphids. In my paintings you’ll see things like a cat eating a cob of corn, women reveling in—or reviling over—a stripper in a leopard print thong, or an overworked Tooth Fairy biting an oversized hand. These scenes are baked in some kind of reality, but they also employ invention to speak to our fantasies and desires. They are playful, yet they conceal an anxiety simmering underneath. Sometimes the motif repeats itself, such as a woman eating a piece of pasta, an image which may cause viewers to ask questions like, “Shouldn’t she be eating salad?”, and, “Eating alone seems like such a loser thing to do! Doesn’t it shorten your lifespan?”
From this I aim to create a world that is both obvious and perplexing and funny but true.