Mitch McGee

What I Did For You, Cherry

2019

Mitch McGee’s layered birch wall works are conceptually grounded in the style of Pop Art legend, Roy Lichtenstein. Specifically citing Lichtenstein’s ‘Girl With Hair Ribbon’, 1965 as McGee’s first major re-appropriation in this arena, he produced his own version ’Lichtenstein with a Red Bow’, 2011 setting in motion this iconic body of work. With an a long history of wood working during his upbringing, and a background in graphic design, McGee develops this unique practice of three-dimensional wall works drawing from his diverse relationship to material and design. Hand cut, oil stained layered birch into tiered dimensions then colored with acrylic paint, McGee illustrates his work with comic book superheroes and sports icons, cinematic gestures and romantic moments akin to the silver screen. McGee’s subject matter draws from a range of highly charged scenarios and narratives illuminated by the bold colors and a distinct physicality of his practice.