Stupid Ugly Portraits of Stupid Ugly Me

Abstract

In 1983, I was born in the palindrome that is Apollo, PA: a notorious nuclear waste contamination site. My parents, Bob and Darlene, were both physical education instructors (a.k.a. gym teacher). Because of these factors, I am convinced that my current physique is a radioactive mutation of the handsome athlete I was meant to be. Producing humorously grotesque self-portraits has helped me cope with my freakish attributes. I consider my artistic process as a series of escape plans and coping mechanisms designed to alleviate neurosis through illustrating inner turmoil. My thesis work stems from, essentially, napkin doodles: little self-inflicted insults. In order to intensify exaggerated physical features and disgusting details, I translate these goofy caricatures into 3-dimensional figures. Each sculpture is made from Super Sculpey, a plastic polymer clay, and colored using oil paint; I consider this process a marriage between low-art action figures and fine art oil paintings. I then documented these 7 sculptures as stereoscopic images to be viewed in a retro View-Master. I feel that a white gallery space inherently negates any humor and playfulness in my work. So, I have treated the View-Master as an alternative gallery space that showcases my sculpture while retaining my sensibilities. There were 50 View-Master reels created as my thesis project.