This is my first time writing out the motivations and ideas I had while creating my latest textured painting, "Purge of the Charlatans."
The title is as subtle as the octopus in conveying my disdain toward the greedy, kleptocrat class. (Not at all subtle.) I went into great detail on the octopus in both texturing it somewhat realistically, and painting it with incredibly vibrant colors that seem to change from different angles. There is a sunken treasure chest, and a shipwreck in the distance, and our octopus has his golden-plated tentacles wrapped around a submersible. The symbolism is pretty direct, in that all wealth is only temporary, and pursuing wealth at the cost of your humanity will curse you.
The ocean waters are turbulently flowing in an impressionist style, as a nod to Van Gogh, and the fact that I feel like I'm losing my fucking mind keeping up with the state of our world. This is a truly miserable time to have any capacity for empathy or critical thinking. Painting the moment that greed meets its match gives a slight catharsis, in being able to see a depiction of karma in action.
The dickheads involved in the oceangate sub implosion were casualties of unrestrained ego - men who have been so wealthy for so long that they truly can't comprehend things like the word "no." People who worship money above all else will forsake wisdom, intellect, and curiosity in a blind chase to have the most shiny objects. That submersible sinking was a unifying moment of class consciousness in America, and that momentum must not be lost.