Hector Acuna

 

This series continues a body of work I began two years ago based on recurring motifs of boxes and fragments of the human body. When I started the work for this exhibition on January 1st, the paintings mostly referenced staged props in my studio. However, as the ideas developed I began to incorporate subjects based on sketchbook drawings from imagination. Overarching themes of the uncanny, interior/exterior space, time, and human relationships emerged in the series. I found inspiration from well known egg tempera painters like Andrew Wyeth and George Tooker who leaned into the psychological sides of human experience in their work. I chose traditional egg tempera, one of the earliest painting mediums, for its unique luminous qualities. Egg tempera is a fast drying hand-mixed paint made with dry pigment and an egg yolk emulsion. These monochromatic paintings were made with Titanium White and Raw Umber on handmade Aluminum Composite Material panels primed with a traditional chalk gesso. Each painting has been gently buffed to a natural sheen and finished in a custom handmade frame with a milk paint finish. You’re invited to view my process behind how the paintings were made in a video series on my YouTube channel.