The Trash Can Portrait

The Social Environmental Portrait

By: Ray Chapman

            The first notion of a portrait usually pertains to a portrait of a person. Inanimate man-made objects are usually not perceived as portraits. Man-made objects are psychologically charged by their use/purpose, condition, and placement in an environment. They are left as complex fingerprints by the individuals who come into contact with them throughout their lives.

            A garbage can is a well know man-made object in most social environments. Its capacity for showing individual character is expansive because of its ability to retain large amounts of personal waste/trash from its owner. The garbage can starts to develop its own personal name and story much like important or sentimental objects do. The cycle of man-made objects have been in the hands or thoughts of countless individuals from the development, production, sale, and lastly use of it. The whole process can be assimilated to the cycle of human life. While a life is considered priceless, a garbage can is usually cheap and dispensable but its purpose can be considered priceless.

            Once a man-made object is made into this world, it ventures out and starts to become its own individual (however it is treated). This is its social environmental treatment which reflects it life like characteristics from its owners/users. The purpose of the environmental portrait of man-made objects is for the individual to take a new approach into perceiving the detail and insight of social environments and relating it to the people that inhabit the space.

Sculptures - Spring 2011

 Self Induced Trama: 

In American society, the general person may not be physical attacking oneself or others with weapons, but killing and reducing the quality of life slowly through the self induce glutany of food.

 An intimate moment in my Underwear:

This is a picture from a performance/sculptural piece i created. This piece is definitely better in person. It consists of two people and a hand sewn shirt made solely out of colored undies. Underwear is considered as a personal or private item. Whatever happens in your underwear is usually private. Putting two people inside underwear together defines boundaries to a new level.

Medicated Family:

This piece is social commentary on parents allowing overmedication to youth.

Day of the Dead Steam Roller Print 2011-10-27

Duck Formation

This project was on how to change the concept/idea of a duck

This is a Triptych in Reference to Old Maps

I made these not long after

Here are some of the first Digital Art Pieces I made.

Binge Eating

Single Servings:

This series has to do with emotional eating. One knows we don't always eat like we should. Comfort food can be a reliable source when we are bored, get stuck in a rut, have a bad day etc... One tends to rationalize, conveniently forget the amount they eat and/or what they have consume. These still lives of "Single Servings" are to document and and entice the viewer in it's absurdity.

Male Nudes with Abstraction

Masculism

By: Ray Chapman

      With the advent of feminism as a byproduct of World War II, the gender roles in society have changed and are still changing. Society has evolved through feminism for the better, but it has left men in an different economic and social status.

      Men cope with social injustice in a way that can be perceived as transitory and is harder to realize and/or be empathetic for. Through this series of paintings, the male figure is used in parallel with abstraction and color to evoke emotions frequently hidden by men. The rectangular shapes symbolize the identity of the man. This work is meant to peel away the tough layer to reveal the emotions trapped in men 

This work is about a year old

Let me know what you think of my work.