Kevin Kinkead, Paintings and Drawings
Birdcage
Birdcage (painting)
Girl With Birdcage
Blue Bed
Woman With Broom
Spilled
Jack the Ripper
The Exorcism
Artist's Statement
These works on paper have all been made in the past year. They are made with the intention of being understood, or even enjoyed, simply and directly. There are two important aspects of these works, one is to see what is being drawn, the other is to see how it is being drawn.
The what is simply the subject(s). There is no direct “purpose” to these subjects. There are no lessons being taught. No metaphors. The subjects or texts of these drawings are daydreams, or night dreams, or something that pops into your head while you’re waiting for a bus. It might be funny, it might be sad, it might be mundane.
The how is the rhythm. This is a little more complicated. What I mean by rhythm is not the usual musical meaning of rhythm, although it is related. All I mean by this word is the way, or rate, or interval, or pace, or volume, at which things happen in the picture. Rhythm could be described as the painter Balthus described it when he said that his own work had, “a sort of personal geometry.” I believe the recognition of this rhythm is crucial to enjoying my work or, for that matter, any art.