Cigarette Portraittes

totaly contrast the kind of work I am most a known for (large and organic) i wanted to do a series of works that were Tiny and toxic, but still held onto the most imoportant throughline in my work...site specificity. 

Cigarettes are a compelling subject a to me, most broadly as a symbol of humanity in this era of cancerous contradictions. Every individual seems to have their own story or experiences with cigarettes, and every city street seems to be litered with them. Examining the cigarette as an object.

I find this invisible universality haunting. Furthermore, the cigarette has persisted an icon society, through in films, photos, inspite of its “bad press”. The draw is not only nicotine, but the  aesthetic and ritualistic aura that surrounds it. 
 as why i chose realism in the tradition of oil portraiture, as the vehicle for this work.