Flynn Matthews Self-taught artist Sage Barnes, aka Sage, reimagines painted individuals in his continuing series of surreal portraits. Shifting his subjects’ heads with bountiful blossoms and clashing rainbow colors, the men (most of whom are self-portraits) and women confidently balance the burden of those inanimate objects and vibrant clouds.
Sage’s most stunning pieces juxtapose artificial blossoms with painted bodies done in the dripping street art (or graffiti) style. The blooms emerge from chunks of concrete and extend round walls to make a dazzling mixture of texture and color. This variation strikes the conceptual center of Sage’s work. “My main focus is utilizing comparison and representational artwork to directly draw out the feelings and experiences of the audience,” he states on his website. The artist not only accomplishes this but, occasionally, the feelings of both ecstasy and despair in his paintings are palpable.
Sage sells a selection of his works as prints through his online shop.
