put em under the microscope

By Kervin | November 9, 2009 | 4 Comments

I went to the (shudder) mall bookstore today. After drifting around the music section for thirty minutes, I found myself in the art book section. I like to peruse the more offbeat illustrators, those select few who got out of art school and threw away everything they learned for a style all their own– think Juxtapoz magazine. Today, I was drawn to the beautifully simplistic stylings of Tara McPherson.

This is a loose association, but I’m reminded of the classic comic strip Nancy. In Nancy, there’s no more or less than necessary; the strip translates extremely well from postage-stamp size up to framed blow-up prints, as with Tara McPherson. Take a look at some of the comics Tara’s drawn up. The imagery is blissful in its minimalism. The artistic training is there, but it comes across with a charming casual effort. Her paintings and prints have subtle uses of color. This gives them power of cool indifference; a startling contrast to the blatant sexuality portrayed. It’s this (and forgive the somewhat intentional pun here) juxtaposition that left me questioning the relationship between seduction and innocence. Is this Tara’s aim? Hard to say. Regardless, I’m inspired.

From the official bio at TaraMcPherson.com:

“Tara McPherson is an artist based out of New York City. Creating art about people and their odd ways, her characters seem to exude an idealized innocence with a glimpse of hard earned wisdom in their eyes. Recalling many issues from childhood and good old life experience, she creates images that are thought provoking and seductive. People and their relationships are a central theme throughout her work.”

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