Ariel McClearin

'Pizza Party at the Beach' original signed acrylic painting

2020

"Surrealist Self-Portrait" is an original acrylic painting on canvas by David Barnett. This nearly completely abstract painting features bright oranges, reds, and yellows alongside d...

Part of the artist’s ‘The Chaos of My Mind’ series, Ariel McClearin’s ‘Dreaming while Sunbathing at the Beach’ is an original signed acrylic painting on canvas board. The painting’s rich palette coupled with the contrasting dynamism of hard and soft geometric shapes evokes the dreamlike state of sunbathing referenced in the title. A series of striped angles recalls the patterned designs of beach towels, while a flock of v-shaped birds takes flight in the outline of a human in the lower right corner, possibly the prone figure of the sunbather themselves. acrylic painting on canvas board 14 x 11 inches Signed and dated in ink on reverse Framed in a modern profile silver-finish float moulding ARTIST STATEMENT: I was born in Rock Falls, Illinois where I lived until I was fourteen. I began living in Germany in high school and, during that time, was able to travel across Europe: Italy, France, England, Belgium, The Netherlands, Mallorca, and Switzerland. I am at my heart a performance artist and spent my adolescence participating in musicals ranging from “Into the Woods” to “Guys and Dolls.” Since leaving the performing arts after high school to pursue my business degree, I have been exploring with fashion design and have aspirations to start my own fashion line. Designers like Kate Spade and Minju Kim have inspired both my fashion – and my paintings – with their unique sense of patterns and color composition. I maintain a love of dance and spend time at the ballet watching shows such as “Swan Lake” and “Giselle.” I started painting as a creative outlet during quarantine this year. I wanted to capture a range of emotions that I was unable to express in other creative outlets. I like abstraction and pattern for its ability to reflect emotion as well as for how it allows for open-ended interpretations. I draw inspiration from artists like Kindah Khalidy...