Phileas Hogg, Adventurer
10x10 oil on panel, black floater frame
From my original instagram post:
I'll be in another group show at The Corner Artist Collective:
Opening Night
Saturday May 25th 2024 - 4-8pm
(This show is One Night Only!)
The Corner Artist Collective
341 S Matlack St,
West Chester, PA 19382
I love this funky new art gallery in West Chester, that has group shows almost every month featuring lots of local artists, and all different styles of work. #supportlocalbusinesses
I've been using their pop-up shows as an excuse to play around with various techniques and subject matter and to take a break from my usual figurative work. This month, I decided to paint a Steampunk Pig. It combines two things I like, which are, you'll never guess, so I'll just tell you: steampunk and pigs.
I grew up watching old movies with steampunk contraptions, like “Around the World in 80 days”, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, and even my beloved Star Wars films, though, arguably, they aren't exactly the Victorian England Steampunk we're used to seeing. The Star Wars Universe had ship designs that were inspired by World War II battleships and aircraft. (The uniforms of the bad guys of the Galactic Empire and their resemblance to Nazi Germany were far from subtle). Then there was the hero's ship “The Millenium Falcon” which was modeled after a B-29 cockpit. Even in the newer films and shows, you won't find any sleek futuristic computers, unlike in the Star Trek Universe, which I'm also a fan of … don't get me wrong … But there's just something about what Wikipedia calls the “retrofuturistic technology” inspired by steam-powered machinery, that I still find visually appealing.
So here's my Steampunk Pig, I'm calling him Phileas Hogg (the main protagonist in “Around the World in 80 Days" was named Phileas Fogg … so, you know … it was right there).
Title: Phileas Hogg, Adventurer*
10x10 oil on panel
He'll be at The Corner on the 25th. Hope to see you there.
(*I almost added “Globe Trotter” instead of Adventurer … but I didn't want to leave anyone with the thought of eating pigs' feet. You're all very welcome.)