BUBBLES
The “Bubbles” series is the simplification of illustrations done over the years and boiled-down to abstract forms. Bubbles represent happiness, continuous loops, circles where endings meet beginnings. In dreams they are meant to represent joyous childhood memories and symbolize wishes, hopes, and goals. The viewer creates the context; molecules, blue berries, sexual innuendos, white water in the ocean, and so on.
New York in the 1980’s was the beginning of street art, and Pat Conlon’s stomping grounds as a kid. “Bubbles” is his homage to “Art Brut”, a mash-up of Jean Dubuffet and Keith Haring. Dubuffet embraced the so-called “low art”, which eschewed traditional standards of beauty in favor of what he believed to be a more authentic and humanistic. Keith Haring bridged the gap between street art, consumerism, and fine art worlds. Both artists found beauty in simplicity.
The idea for “Bubbles” came from the time when Pat Conlon worked in the action sports industry as a creative director in marketing. Conlon noticed that vinyl backdrops were often used once and thrown away. Soon he was recycling the backdrop and using them for his canvases, working his illustrations into the visual framework of the backdrops until he had what he calls his “Jackson Pollack moment”: Simplify more.
In this series the utilization of vinyl from various brands begets recognizable imagery with a built-in history. The bubbles enhance, mute, and create a push/pull visual theory. In each piece a secret “Cracker Jack prize” is offered as an added to bonus hold the viewer longer. So take your time and enjoy the “Bubbles” series by Pat Conlon.
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