Brendan O'Connell

Luzianne

After graduating with degrees in philosophy and Spanish, Brendan moved to Paris to teach languages. There, at the age of twenty-two, he first picked up a pencil and began teaching hi...

After graduating with degrees in philosophy and Spanish, Brendan moved to Paris to teach languages. There, at the age of twenty-two, he first picked up a pencil and began teaching hi...

'Omega II' is an abstract pointillist painting featuring hues of tan, ocher, green, brown, pink and black. Robert Hightower is inspired by the work of Giotto, Hieronymus Bosch, Jean-François Millet, Roger Brown, Howard Arkley and Julian Opie. This piece is a part of a special immersive gallery installation, “The Apocalypse Simulacra,” which is a narrative presentation of the twilight of humanity, at the fulcrum of extinction by Atlanta-based artist Robert Hightower. Through stage-set constructions, readymade plastic models and paintings, Hightower investigates the duality of right/wrong, good/bad, eternal/ephemeral in light of the imminent end of the Human Epoch. It depicts the ideological origins of corporate greed and power, the reality of wealth distribution in the “American Dream,” and the socio-economic and environmental impacts of that collective greed. After receiving a BFA in sculpture from the University of Georgia, Hightower moved to New York City and participated in The Bronx Museum of the Art’s AIM Fellowship (Artist In the Marketplace). While in New York, his interests expanded to include art installation and the creation of spaces, and has since designed and built many unique homes, penthouses and restaurants throughout the United States. Hightower has returned home to Atlanta and will be presenting his most comprehensive body of work to date, “The Apocalypse Simulacra,” a unique universe of beauty, dichotomy and uncertainty. ARTIST STATEMENT The 'Apocalypse Simulacra' is a presentation of the twilight of humanity, at the fulcrum of extinction. The climate is the subject. The Simulacra is the Theme. First discussed by Plato, the Simulacra is the search for Truth in Duality. Developing into Post-Modernism with Nietzsche’s: truth=Truth. Now with Bauvillard, the Simulacra has evolved beyond Post-Modernism, into the wholesale confusion of the real/fake, the true/false… between reality and hyper-reality. This crumbling, confusing of the truth (not necessarily the Truth) is our Reality. For over two decades, I have created large format paintings of strip malls, suburban houses and toys. These paintings present singular images flattened-out (almost floating) on color-fields. They create a certain duality - a loving portrait of an inanimate object that would not normally be singled-out for affection. With my latest work, I have added a variety of iconic images: an airplane, a whisky bottle, a woman floating in a pool. The icons are presented in a pixelated or degenerated state. In addition to paintings, I have used adult-size building blocks to create sculptures or three-dimensional paintings. Using a child's toy at an adult-scale gives the building blocks an austere and powerful presence. The building blocks echo the blocks of the pixelated paintings...

'Kum Ba Ya' is an abstract pointillist painting featuring hues of red, green, yellow, blue and black. Robert Hightower is inspired by the work of Giotto, Hieronymus Bosch, Jean-François Millet, Roger Brown, Howard Arkley and Julian Opie. This piece is a part of a special immersive gallery installation, “The Apocalypse Simulacra,” which is a narrative presentation of the twilight of humanity, at the fulcrum of extinction by Atlanta-based artist Robert Hightower. Through stage-set constructions, readymade plastic models and paintings, Hightower investigates the duality of right/wrong, good/bad, eternal/ephemeral in light of the imminent end of the Human Epoch. It depicts the ideological origins of corporate greed and power, the reality of wealth distribution in the “American Dream,” and the socio-economic and environmental impacts of that collective greed. After receiving a BFA in sculpture from the University of Georgia, Hightower moved to New York City and participated in The Bronx Museum of the Art’s AIM Fellowship (Artist In the Marketplace). While in New York, his interests expanded to include art installation and the creation of spaces, and has since designed and built many unique homes, penthouses and restaurants throughout the United States. Hightower has returned home to Atlanta and will be presenting his most comprehensive body of work to date, “The Apocalypse Simulacra,” a unique universe of beauty, dichotomy and uncertainty. ARTIST STATEMENT The 'Apocalypse Simulacra' is a presentation of the twilight of humanity, at the fulcrum of extinction. The climate is the subject. The Simulacra is the Theme. First discussed by Plato, the Simulacra is the search for Truth in Duality. Developing into Post-Modernism with Nietzsche’s: truth=Truth. Now with Bauvillard, the Simulacra has evolved beyond Post-Modernism, into the wholesale confusion of the real/fake, the true/false… between reality and hyper-reality. This crumbling, confusing of the truth (not necessarily the Truth) is our Reality. For over two decades, I have created large format paintings of strip malls, suburban houses and toys. These paintings present singular images flattened-out (almost floating) on color-fields. They create a certain duality - a loving portrait of an inanimate object that would not normally be singled-out for affection. With my latest work, I have added a variety of iconic images: an airplane, a whisky bottle, a woman floating in a pool. The icons are presented in a pixelated or degenerated state. In addition to paintings, I have used adult-size building blocks to create sculptures or three-dimensional paintings. Using a child's toy at an adult-scale gives the building blocks an austere and powerful presence. The building blocks echo the blocks of the pixelated paintings...

'LOL' is an abstract pointillist painting featuring hues of yellow, orange, pink, and white. Robert Hightower is inspired by the work of Giotto, Hieronymus Bosch, Jean-François Millet, Roger Brown, Howard Arkley and Julian Opie. This piece is a part of a special immersive gallery installation, “The Apocalypse Simulacra,” which is a narrative presentation of the twilight of humanity, at the fulcrum of extinction by Atlanta-based artist Robert Hightower. Through stage-set constructions, readymade plastic models and paintings, Hightower investigates the duality of right/wrong, good/bad, eternal/ephemeral in light of the imminent end of the Human Epoch. It depicts the ideological origins of corporate greed and power, the reality of wealth distribution in the “American Dream,” and the socio-economic and environmental impacts of that collective greed. After receiving a BFA in sculpture from the University of Georgia, Hightower moved to New York City and participated in The Bronx Museum of the Art’s AIM Fellowship (Artist In the Marketplace). While in New York, his interests expanded to include art installation and the creation of spaces, and has since designed and built many unique homes, penthouses and restaurants throughout the United States. Hightower has returned home to Atlanta and will be presenting his most comprehensive body of work to date, “The Apocalypse Simulacra,” a unique universe of beauty, dichotomy and uncertainty. ARTIST STATEMENT The 'Apocalypse Simulacra' is a presentation of the twilight of humanity, at the fulcrum of extinction. The climate is the subject. The Simulacra is the Theme. First discussed by Plato, the Simulacra is the search for Truth in Duality. Developing into Post-Modernism with Nietzsche’s: truth=Truth. Now with Bauvillard, the Simulacra has evolved beyond Post-Modernism, into the wholesale confusion of the real/fake, the true/false… between reality and hyper-reality. This crumbling, confusing of the truth (not necessarily the Truth) is our Reality. For over two decades, I have created large format paintings of strip malls, suburban houses and toys. These paintings present singular images flattened-out (almost floating) on color-fields. They create a certain duality - a loving portrait of an inanimate object that would not normally be singled-out for affection. With my latest work, I have added a variety of iconic images: an airplane, a whisky bottle, a woman floating in a pool. The icons are presented in a pixelated or degenerated state. In addition to paintings, I have used adult-size building blocks to create sculptures or three-dimensional paintings. Using a child's toy at an adult-scale gives the building blocks an austere and powerful presence. The building blocks echo the blocks of the pixelated paintings...

'Omega I' is an abstract pointillist painting featuring hues of tan, ocher, green, brown, pink and black. Robert Hightower is inspired by the work of Giotto, Hieronymus Bosch, Jean-François Millet, Roger Brown, Howard Arkley and Julian Opie. This piece is a part of a special immersive gallery installation, “The Apocalypse Simulacra,” which is a narrative presentation of the twilight of humanity, at the fulcrum of extinction by Atlanta-based artist Robert Hightower. Through stage-set constructions, readymade plastic models and paintings, Hightower investigates the duality of right/wrong, good/bad, eternal/ephemeral in light of the imminent end of the Human Epoch. It depicts the ideological origins of corporate greed and power, the reality of wealth distribution in the “American Dream,” and the socio-economic and environmental impacts of that collective greed. After receiving a BFA in sculpture from the University of Georgia, Hightower moved to New York City and participated in The Bronx Museum of the Art’s AIM Fellowship (Artist In the Marketplace). While in New York, his interests expanded to include art installation and the creation of spaces, and has since designed and built many unique homes, penthouses and restaurants throughout the United States. Hightower has returned home to Atlanta and will be presenting his most comprehensive body of work to date, “The Apocalypse Simulacra,” a unique universe of beauty, dichotomy and uncertainty. ARTIST STATEMENT The 'Apocalypse Simulacra' is a presentation of the twilight of humanity, at the fulcrum of extinction. The climate is the subject. The Simulacra is the Theme. First discussed by Plato, the Simulacra is the search for Truth in Duality. Developing into Post-Modernism with Nietzsche’s: truth=Truth. Now with Bauvillard, the Simulacra has evolved beyond Post-Modernism, into the wholesale confusion of the real/fake, the true/false… between reality and hyper-reality. This crumbling, confusing of the truth (not necessarily the Truth) is our Reality. For over two decades, I have created large format paintings of strip malls, suburban houses and toys. These paintings present singular images flattened-out (almost floating) on color-fields. They create a certain duality - a loving portrait of an inanimate object that would not normally be singled-out for affection. With my latest work, I have added a variety of iconic images: an airplane, a whisky bottle, a woman floating in a pool. The icons are presented in a pixelated or degenerated state. In addition to paintings, I have used adult-size building blocks to create sculptures or three-dimensional paintings. Using a child's toy at an adult-scale gives the building blocks an austere and powerful presence. The building blocks echo the blocks of the pixelated paintings...

Zygmund Jankowski (1925–2009) painted traditional subjects with exuberant irreverence for traditional rules of color, composition, and perspective. He disparaged imitation and deligh...

"The End is Near" by Emily Fox King, oil on canvas, 48 x 60 inches (Framed size 50 x 62 inches) "Eckhart Tolle explains that the reason we have a human...

"Look What I Can Do" by Emily Fox King, oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches (Framed size ~ 38 x 38 inches). $3,900 "Eckhart Tolle explains that the reason we...

This study takes inspiration from historical “reclining nude” paintings, most of which were painted through the perspective of the male gaze. The artist wanted to change the narrative and make the woman feel more empowered and dominant in her situation, aware of the power she holds. Samantha Van Heest...

This painting was inspired by the artists very first toy, a small blue giraffe, given to her as a day-old baby. It is something that has been around her whole life, and even though it is inanimate, there is a feeling of personification through the years of wear. Her brother as a baby would call giraffes “fa,” which is always a sweet memory she associate with this toy. Samantha Van Heest...

Samantha Van Heest explores the intimacy of impermanence through her work, utilizing still life, found objects, and portraiture through minimalist r...