11-Charlize2
©2010 Craig Ashby
Mixed media on masonite.
10″ x 7″

The second in the Charlize Theron set. I chose green as the topmost layer to interact with the mostly orange layer. Reminds me of my elementary school colors. Go roadrunners.

I especially love Charlize’s yellow skin and the paper cuts underneath. Her yellow hands are perfect. Equally I love former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger peeking out of Charlize’s sleeve. And the painterly model on the left.

Because each of the cut layers are cut from a single magazine layer, controlling what shows is difficult. Notice how the snake’s face on the left of the piece is bisected by the harsh geometric lines of orange and then almost obliterated by something that looks like a watch face. Normally I would want more control, but not here in these pieces.

In college I was told you could only do two things with a mistake. Conceal it or expose it. That idea will stuck with me forever.

This entire experience is about exposing the mistakes. But more than that, it’s about embracing those mistakes and accidents. Taking the random error and using it to expand how I see visual information. Exploiting those visual mistakes to elevate my idea of beauty.