In Proximity
Leigh bell-koch
MICA Maryland Institute College of Art
In this series of paintings, I portray the life I have found in cities, where freedom and ease of movement create daily encounters with other people. The foundation of my work is people watching and sketching in leisure spaces, such as bars and concerts. I am interested in the strange friction that occurs when individuals, full of their own universes, consent to share space. I wonder what it means to be in proximity with each other. I capture candid gestures, and then bring them back to my studio to create paintings that hold a seed of truth about the original moment. Each decision in the studio complicates the scene, adding ambiguity that opens up the paintings to multiple interpretations from the audience. I am not telling one story of community. I transform these group settings into sites of potential--anything can happen here.