Why Me?

"Oiran" oil on wood

Fantastic paintings from Los Angeles based artist Audrey Kawasaki. She has so much work on her site it took me forever to look at it, and I didn't even get through it all. Take you time and check it all out, it is a very clean and well designed site. I would highly suggest the doodles section of the site, there are some very cool sketchbook pieces in there that give a bit of background on how she gets to her final product.

The themes in Audrey Kawasaki's work are contradictions within themselves. Her work is both innocent and erotic. Each subject is attractive yet disturbing. Audrey's precise technical style is at once influenced by both manga comics and Art Nouveau. Her sharp graphic imagery is combined with the natural grain of the wood panels she paints on, bringing an unexpected warmth to enigmatic subject matter.

The figures she paints are seductive and contain an air of melancholy. They exist in their own sensually esoteric realm, yet at the same time present a sense of accessibility that draws the observer to them. These mysterious young women captivate with the direct stare of their bedroom eyes.

Audrey updates her online journal frequently with new work, pieces in progress, information about shows and more. Click here to visit Aud's Journal.