BORBAY

An untimely passing can be a polarizing moment. When I read about the suicide of Alexander McQueen, something clicked. Every collage I make places our daily headlines on one plane, sharing the contrasting views and emotions (or lack there of) experienced within the pages of any daily paper. McQueen’s death was the epitome; snarky headlines like “Couture Shock”, mixed in with Death, Suicide, Specials, $69.99, Beauties, Top Dog, Game, Your Lips…

This canvas has been on a long journey, initially set forth to be an architectural pattern comprised of Chrysler Buildings. After the jump, a picture I began when I broke my leg, and finished four months later… about the death of a fashion designer, and the world around us.

As I found myself sitting on the couch, leg snapped, brain hopped up on Oxy, I decided to create a pattern painting – made strictly out of Chrysler Buildings.

However, that canvas sat dormant for months, until the passing of McQueen… a moment I found startling, and important to immortalize.

Working through with my standard color cycles, I began to populate the text with rich, primary focused colors.

After several cycles, the picture began to take on a red/yellow heavy under-painting… a life of its own.

Finally, after several more layers, the picture plane has begun to unify… interestingly enough, even in the attempt to be devoid of imagery, a vortex appears at the center of the canvas.

Back to work during the day, with greater visibility, I begin to darken out the colors… at this point, I realized the canvas should be completed with the colors you would see on a city night at twilight.

Moving into a purist palette… red on red, yellow on yellow, etc.

Each round of colors becomes darker, slightly more complex…. layers are beginning to form.

Close to the end of the painting… some colors selectively pushing and pulling.

Fin. I resisted the obvious shock value return to a yellow/red “suicide” – as this, I felt, was unnecessary. As with anyone who goes before their time, I was sorry to hear about the untimely passing of Alexander McQueen. It is hard to fathom being such a talent, with the crush of financial and creative expectation pushing you to the brink… but he is not the first, and will not be the last.