Katie Crown's latest creations are cut-and-painted metal enlargements from fun drawings of social interactions. These wall-mounted “metal drawings” amplify Crown's cartooning. Nearly life-size figures can be seen experiencing fear of pancakes, fretful bicycling, an unusual therapy session and other shared activities.
"For me, social interactions generate anxiety," says Crown. "Drawing cartoons of them has been a way for me to cope with the anxiety. It's fun, and I hope the pieces convey that spirit of fun. With all of the difficulties in our world these days, we need some humor to pull us through."
The first pieces of the series were exhibited at TAG Gallery in Los Angeles in a show that opened in March 2020, just in time to close for the pandemic, which quickly overhauled concerns about social interactions.
In addition to her drawn lines, Crown uses planes of color and pattern. The style suits the character of each situation depicted. The works are enamel paint on quarter-inch thick aluminum that has been cut to the shape of the source drawings. They are pinned out from the wall a fraction of an inch, so shadows become part of the appearance. See them in person if you get a chance.
Appearing as large drawnings on the wall, these works are descendants of prehistoric cave art -- primal visuals for our times, when worries about hunting have morphed into worries about social interactions.
Humor has always been important to Crown. Depression runs in her family, and she found that making herself laugh was an economical antidote. She made small sketchbook drawings based on daily experiences – kind of like a diary but always with a humorous bent. She was able to take different family members and give their daily lives a combustible flair.
At art school, a professor looking at Crown's small drawings asked why she didn’t work them into her larger art. She kept that memory and, over the years, tried a few approaches with various media. Recently, she came up with a solution that works best: big, painted metal wall-hangings amplified from her drawings into a physical presence that confronts the viewer eye-to-eye. They are mounted about an inch out from the wall, casting shadows that add heft.
To give a better feel for these pieces than is possible with a simple photo, a brief video about them is available at this link.
"For me, social interactions generate anxiety," says Crown. "Drawing cartoons of them has been a way for me to cope with the anxiety. It's fun, and I hope the pieces convey that spirit of fun. With all of the difficulties in our world these days, we need some humor to pull us through."
The first pieces of the series were exhibited at TAG Gallery in Los Angeles in a show that opened in March 2020, just in time to close for the pandemic, which quickly overhauled concerns about social interactions.
In addition to her drawn lines, Crown uses planes of color and pattern. The style suits the character of each situation depicted. The works are enamel paint on quarter-inch thick aluminum that has been cut to the shape of the source drawings. They are pinned out from the wall a fraction of an inch, so shadows become part of the appearance. See them in person if you get a chance.
Appearing as large drawnings on the wall, these works are descendants of prehistoric cave art -- primal visuals for our times, when worries about hunting have morphed into worries about social interactions.
Humor has always been important to Crown. Depression runs in her family, and she found that making herself laugh was an economical antidote. She made small sketchbook drawings based on daily experiences – kind of like a diary but always with a humorous bent. She was able to take different family members and give their daily lives a combustible flair.
At art school, a professor looking at Crown's small drawings asked why she didn’t work them into her larger art. She kept that memory and, over the years, tried a few approaches with various media. Recently, she came up with a solution that works best: big, painted metal wall-hangings amplified from her drawings into a physical presence that confronts the viewer eye-to-eye. They are mounted about an inch out from the wall, casting shadows that add heft.
To give a better feel for these pieces than is possible with a simple photo, a brief video about them is available at this link.
Katie Crown beside her Sincere installed on a wall