I am pleased and honored to be a part of the effort to “change the face of men’s health” during Movember (moustache November) at Ken’s Man’s Shop. This annual charity event, along with the wily whiskers of these bygone gentlemen, provided me an intriguing subject matter.
Although the hipster beard trend has found a worthy cause in Movember, facial hair has been represented in art since the first cave person picked up a piece of charcoal and decided to draw man. Additionally, shaving is as old as civilization itself.
There has been a long standing debate in the art world about whether life imitates art, or if it is rather art that imitates life. My intention with these paintings is perhaps better understood as “art imitates art.” Think of the male face as the canvas, the follicles as the medium, and shaving instrument as the brush. The man is the artist making the decision of what he will convey and how best to express it. In this sense each painting in my series is a particular artist statement, in and of itself.
Each of the 11 paintings are $300 and 20% of the proceeds will go toward the Movember Foundation.
Patty Rooney, Artist of Movember Whisker Series 2016
