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    Masks and Make-Believe: Children Traverse ‘Paper Stories’ in José Luis Ceña’s Paintings

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    “Little Red Riding Hood” (2024), oil on linen, 71 x 71 inches. All images courtesy of José Luis Ceña, shared with permission

    Masks and Make-Believe: Children Traverse ‘Paper Stories’ in José Luis Ceña’s Paintings

    November 26, 2024

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    Elaborate, imaginary worlds open up around the youthful characters in José Luis Ceña’s oil paintings. Brushy, splattered, and sometimes fuzzy around the edges, his protagonists don homemade costumes and traipse through forts made from sheets and boxes.

    “I believe that addressing the topic of children more deeply in my paintings came about as a result of having my two children,” the artist tells Colossal. “Living with children makes you realize issues you thought were forgotten.”

    “Pig Mask” (2024), oil on canvas, 40 x 40 inches

    Ceña focuses on play to illuminate the contrast between the innocence of youth and what he describes as “the decay of the world we are leaving behind.”

    In his most recent series, Paper Stories, kids wear masks and traverse a make-believe, cardboard world. Made of quotidian materials, the scenes transform into fantastical realms filled with animals, dinosaurs, and exciting mysteries.

    The psychology of costumes and concealment take on a metaphorical role in Ceña’s paintings, reflecting how people conform to the actualities of adulthood and society. “We wear (these masks) every day, trying to project an image of ourselves that, in most cases, doesn’t align with the reality we live,” the artist says. “This is especially evident in our use of social media.”

    Vibrant landscapes are often devoid of depth, as if cut from paper and layered to form a stage-like set. These flattened scenes “suggest that these worlds are destined to dissolve, to fold in on themselves,” Ceña says, adding that “solitude is a silent protagonist.”

    The work shown here was recently on view with Galerie LeRoyer, and you can explore more of Ceña’s work on Instagram.

    “Cardboardzoic” (2024), oil on canvas, 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches

    “Oasis” (2024), Oil on canvas, 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches

    “The Bird” (2024), oil on canvas, 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches

    “Treasure Box” (2024), oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches

    “The Bird II” (2024), oil on canvas, 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches

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      #art history
      #cave art
      #feet
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      Image via Science Bulletin
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      #art history
      #cave art
      #feet
      #hands
      #kids

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      Evoking Childhood Nostalgia, Color and Cartoon Commotion Burst from Kayla Mahaffey’s Paintings

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      #acrylic
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      #childhood
      #kids
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      September 15, 2021
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      “No Harm Done.” All images courtesy of Thinkspace Projects, shared with permission
      Surrounding Black children with jumbled masses of cartoon characters, doodles, and explosions of color, Chicago-based artist Kayla Mahaffey (previously) imagines adolescent daydreams and an array of playtime inventions. She infuses her acrylic paintings with a longing for carefree summer days, mornings spent watching the foibles of favorite animated characters, and hours left open for adventure, capturing feelings of joy and curiosity. Vividly rendered and layered with squiggles and globs of color, the large-scale works find “value in the sugar-coated nostalgia,” which Mahaffey explains:
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      “The Sweet Escape”
      “Head in the Clouds”
      “The Child In Us”
      “Tender, Love, and Care (TLC)”
      “Beautiful Day In The…”

      Left: “No Public Enemy.” Right: “Kid In Play”
      “Daydreamin”

      #acrylic
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      #kids
      #painting

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      #books
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      May 21, 2021
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      All images courtesy of Phaidon
      Banksy Graffitied Walls and Wasn’t Sorry introduces the life and work of the anonymous street artist to some of the youngest readers. The 48-page book is cleverly written as a plainspoken autobiography, detailing both Banksy’s aesthetic sensibilities and surveying his decades-long career, including references to Dismaland, his “Better Out Than In” residency in New York, signature rats, and the subversive, overtly political messages of his pieces and antics. Illustrated in Fausto Gilberti’s whimsical style, the largely black-and-white drawings are playful and humorous and contextualize Banky’s profound impact and mysterious, unapologetic reputation in a manner fit for kids.
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      #books
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      Art

      #acrylic
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      March 24, 2021
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      Detail of “I pensieri non fanno rumore” (2019), different types of wood, acrylic color, 150 x 100 x 107 centimeters. All images © Willy Verginer, shared with permission
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      Detail of “Chimica del pensiero” (2019), lindenwood, acrylic color, 168 x 46 x 45 centimeters
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      “Pensieri nascosti” (2020), lindenwood, acrylic color, 172 x 39 x 33 centimeters
      “Chimica del pensiero” (2019), lindenwood, acrylic color, 168 x 46 x 45 centimeters
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      All images © Nelson Makamo, shared with permission
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      #charcoal
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      December 22, 2020
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      All images via Poppy McKenzie Smith, shared with permission
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      #holidays
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      #public art
      #Scotland
      #street art

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    • 175 Shares189 Views

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      #flowers
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      November 4, 2020
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      All images © Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., by Kenson Noel, shared with permission
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