Mark Andrew Farrell
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been drawn to Halloween, not only
because my birthday is the day before, but also because it’s the
only time of year when every suburban lawn can be turned into
an art installation without being sentimental. I’m inspired by
what the horror genre and Halloween evoke—heavy metal music,
gothic castles, the devil, and the supernatural. I combine these
impressions, as well as politics, landscape, and sense of touch,
with past experiences to build my own kind of romanticism in
painting.
My use of romanticism is balanced with progressive attitudes
about today’s issues, and my paintings are often difficult to accept
as pretty postcards. The paintings are based on photographs of
scenes from daily life that are then embellished, and sometimes
subverted, until the familiar is combined with the absurd in a way
that fits my vision.