61cm w X 78cm h
Acrylic on canvas
FOR SALE

Instagram is an interesting place, one of the things I've noticed are hordes of girls (younger and older) pouting & sticking tongues out in front of mirrors and such. Of course, because of the sexual appeal, they have thousands if not hundreds of thousands of followers, while many artists struggle to get past three digits (unless of course, they're prolific and have been on the platform for many years).

It seems mostly galleries and other artists that follow each other, not so many actual art collectors and buyers (I might be wrong - since I'm new to Instagram). I've managed to sell a few paintings via the platform, but I'm yet to learn about the whole "marketing game" - I'm not sure I even want to go down that road to be honest.

Anyway, back to the painting - what sparked this one was a thought that crossed my mind. Most of the girls are never seen to smile, they're always dead-pan. It made me wonder if they're actually happy, or if they live for the endorphin rush they get from all the comments and likes from their pretty poses, while actually crying inside.

I called this one "Emopop" as a play on "emotional" and "Pop art", obviously the colours lean toward the happy side, but her makeup is smeared like she's been crying. This can generally be seen as an extension of the internet and other platforms - where people at face-value appear happy & living amazing lives, but you never know what goes on behind the scenes.

I had fun letting loose on this one, messing about with colour, and doing something different. Here are a few closeups.