CONGLOMERATE
AUG 4 - SEP 16
Exhibiting at Hawk Merlin Studios Summer 2017!
Hawk Merlin Studios is delighted to present, Conglomerate, our latest exhibition by Portland painter Mack Legg. The artist's first solo exhibition features a large body of work comprised of 48 large to small-scale painted works on canvas and board.
Conglomerate is an amalgamation of Legg’s imagination and own social experiences to produce a whimsical suite of interpersonal moments that summon the viewer, inviting them to take a closer look. The exhibition title alludes to the idea that albeit the number of unique individuals in a large social setting, once they join the crowd they form one living, breathing mass. The artist seeks to expose the contents of the crowd, transforming the mass from general to personal.
Legg’s figural forms crave social attention, whether this is an intimate embrace amidst a sea of people, or a solo crowd surfer making fleeting connections with the strangers supporting her. An astute observer, the artist looks to her immediate surroundings for inspiration. She is constantly people watching and taking time to notice details. From a quick selfie to the eye-catching pattern from a garment, Legg aims to capture these details within the pictorial field to explore the unique aspects that make up the conglomerate.
“I see my life as a collection of small everyday moments I observe. I want my work to be a celebration of such moments.”
Painting in the figurative expressionist style, the artist’s work is a great reflection of her creative process; simultaneously instinctive and energetic as Legg literally will dance from painting to painting, using varied brush strokes, layers, and textures to build her expressive compositions.
Mack Legg was born and raised in Southern Oregon. She studied Painting and Graphic Design at the University of Oregon, where she graduated in with a BFA in Painting in 2015. Currently a Graphic Designer by trade, the artist continues to paint out of her home studio in Portland, Oregon.
