ninaoneil
What’s with the Wall Angels, Nina? I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard this. This series has, without question, elicited the strongest and most diverse range of reactions of any of my paintings.
Fellow painters love the figurative work and bold use of color, others feel intimidated by the characters. My own Mom refers to this series as “The Scary Guys”, knowing full well that they are all kind and gentle people, her own daughter one of them.
So what is with the Wall Angels. It all started with the first portrait of my pal Garrett, an elite athlete in his high altitude mask headed to the Versaclimber to condition his lungs for an upcoming mountain hike. I stopped him, grabbed my phone and snapped the photo. I knew I had to paint it. What I didn’t know was that people would perceive his high altitude mask as a gas mask and symbol of terrorism, and his friendly sign language as the “sign of the horns”. It couldn’t be further from the truth and this intrigued me.
Shortly after I asked my boxing mates if they’d participate in a photo shoot because I wanted to continue the series. They showed up with hats and masks, Incredible Hulk gloves and various props, including this terrifying skull gator that literally transformed them before my eyes.
This series is a personal study of how powerful image can be. These people, all dear friends of mine btw, are all elite athletes epitomizing healthy living and self-discipline. However when their physical strength is displayed out of context they appear absolutely menacing.
The “scary guys” are the salt of the earth and gentle as lambs. I will tell you this however, should a baddie ever tangle with any one of us, they’re going to have a very bad day.
