Still breathing

I'm always drawing faces. Any shape I draw I want to turn into a face, I see them everywhere. Making this, I accepted my propensity and dialed in on what is a bit of a signature style / crutch (depending on how you look at it), creating a dynamic background, and then building a textured face on top of it with all sorts of collaging materials. This one is heavily constructed from painted newspaper plus other bits and bobs. The caption... just how I was feeling that day, and a reminder for future days!

Follow

Did it make you feel something?

I'm Max, a Social Worker channelling my energy into colours and shapes.

I work with acrylics and love the textures provided by collaging and mixed media. I've spent over a decade making music and taking photos, always as a hobby. Physical art came later, maybe five years ago when I started having 'crafternoons' with a close friend. As time's gone on, painting has become my favoured outlet — the physical movement, the vibrancy of the colours, the ability to create chaos without a large amount of planning. It feels like genuine expression and I love that.

With my background in social work, I've spent a lot of time sitting with other people's emotions. Having taken a step back from front line work, these days I'm channelling my own emotions and perspectives: confusion, anger, beauty in isolation, despair, beauty in chaos, calm.