For a while I've had this fascination with lips and lip makeup. I think it all started with a video on MTV back in the 80's. Early puberty symptoms. That, and Robert Palmer and Madonna are to blame/thank.

In art school i began seeing lots of art focusing on closeups of faces and body parts, but none focusing solely on the lips. I found myself digging in old magazine cutouts and perusing the internet in search of good source images (I wasn't fortunate or brave enough to find my own model. shyness=struggle) and located some amazing candidates. I played with many styles, colors and forms. This oil painting is just one of the many paintings and sketches I did, and sadly, almost the only one that I could locate after leaving school.

I feel there is a lot of energy in the lips. As visually focused beings, we look at mouths all the time without realizing it. Think about this during your next conversation with someone. (Just don't stare too long or hard, you might get slapped or worse.). Think about how often we see lips being used to sell things. From lip color to the movement of the mouth are all very powerful forms and uses of body language. It's a focal point to our lives - minding not the #1 focus, the eyes (but we'll get to that later) - and our society is obsessed with visual stimulation. I just give them a closer, more intimate look at one area of obsession. This doesn't convey all my thoughts and feeling that went into this work, but it covers the basic purpose.

I'm not entirely happy with it, though that's how I am with all my work. But I think it captures the essence of what I was trying for. Once I get back into painting again, this is a subject I hope to explore more.