Michael Reedy's Dust & Moonshine
"La Guerre" (2016) charcoal, watercolor, colored pencil, acrylic paint, glitter, gouache, and glow in the dark paint
I mentioned the brilliant and complex anatomical art of Michael Reedy in the past and recently featured him in my TEDMED talk. He continues to push the boundaries of anatomy as a way to know thyself with each series of paintings he produces. Dust & Moonshine is no exception as we see his mastery of the figure and gross anatomy collide. I love how he introduces the origin and insertion colors onto the skeleton. It brings a didactic touch to an otherwise pop surrealistic vibe. The new collection, nearly two years in the making, will be Michael's first and only collection released in 2016.
Michael explains his motivation for the series,
“The delicate strands of silver hair that have started to populate my wife’s head most easily explain what motivates my work. At one moment, I find them incredibly beautiful, and celebrate the fact that I have had the opportunity to share my life with her, and in another moment, I am struck with my fear of growing older and eventually losing her. Everything eventually seems to revolve around this point-of-tension between beauty and despair, between living and dying. However, it is this duality that makes life beautiful! It is our ability to persevere in light of this duality that motivates much of my work. However, it should be stressed that I prefer to find the beauty in that silver hair. The characters that populate my work are only flirting with death–even the skeletons and skull portraits are very much living in my mind.”
Dust & Moonshine by Michael Reedy debuts September 2nd, 2016 at Arch Enemy Arts in Philadelphia, PA. View more pieces and in progress shots by Michael on his Instagram!
Michael Reedy La Guerre detail
The Kiss" (2016) charcoal, watercolor, colored pencil, acrylic paint, glitter, gouache, and glow in the dark paint
"Dust" (2016)
"Moonshine" (2016)
"Undone" (2016)
"Everybody knows your fate, Honey (DIDACTIC)" (2016)