McAmerica Series

Artist Statement

         My artwork focuses on the network of issues that contributes to a confusing mess of body image, media, overconsumption, and growing obesity in America. In American society we are all concerned about our image, in particular, our weight. It is fascinating to me that America’s strong media presence upholds physical beauty as being extremely thin. At the same time our media blasts Americans with images and advertisements of fast food that causes many people to be pressured into overconsumption. These two ideas completely conflict one another: on one hand you are expected to be thin and toned, and on the other hand you are expected to consume cheap and greasy foods from restaurants such as McDonalds. This problem is further complicated by American habits of general overconsumption, which in some ways lead many families into heavy debt and even poverty. In many poor areas there is often a lack of any sort of fresh produce or even grocery stores. There is not enough income in the area to support a grocery store. Often fast food restaurants develop in these areas because food is cheaper. Such places are known as a food desert. So many families resort to cheap foods like hamburgers from McDonalds because their budgets are limited.

A thematic statement that threads throughout this body of recent artwork is: “The real cost of cheap food, but can we really afford it?” refers to the issues of weight that come with fast food. In “Title,” I include the images of cows because as an artist I am questioning the quality of the meat put into these foods. Over top is a fine print that warns about how beef can be harmful. Metaphorically, we treat the quality of our food like we do fine print, noone reads it and noone cares. In addition, I include a weight loss ad. Many Americans resort to various methods of combatting weight gain. Thinking about weight gain takes up a lot of space, just like being overweight can dominate a lot of ones life. In this piece, I include a hamburger wrapper as the physical representation of my own faults in eating fast food. In this way it becomes my own personal issue. In the background, I have drawn the iconic McDonald’s “m” to show how advertising by corporations is a huge factor in this contemporary food crisis.

I hope that through imagery that I can promote not only personal health habits but bring awareness to these issues. I think by making others aware of the mechanisms that allow for companies and social groups to trap individuals in this self-harming behavior, I hope to begin a dialogue about how to create a change. It is only by being aware of how society functions that one may begin social change. 

The Work

This series is based on the choices we are forced to make living in America. I think it is unusual how we have two modes of thinking when it comes to body image and consumerism. On one end of the spectrum, males and females alike are expected to be thin and muscled to display the American ideal of beautiful. In extreme cases, a starved body is considered the ideal. In contrast Americans are also taught that fast foods, junk foods and sodas are the foods to eat. There is a certain reputation for Americans to overeat and to be obese because of poor food choices. In order to juxtapose these ideas I have painted two bodies in profile in front of one of the iconic symbols of America, our flag. One body is overweight, hands relaxed at the hips. It is confrontational and defensive, maybe even insecure. On the other hand the other body is thin and tanned with one arm in salute (the left because I didn't want to over-associate it with the military's right hand salute) in a more aggressive posture than the left figure. 

This piece is done on Arches 80lb cold press watercolor paper with Windsor&Newton Watercolor paints. 

American Choices

This was an investigation of how advertising in the fast food industry works. It is interesting to me how there are people whose jobs it is to photograph and beautify foods. Hamburgers are precariously set up with all the same ingredients, cooked carefully, with condiments dispensed from a syringe and the bun tipped back to show the burger and make it look fuller. This is an enormous contrast to how the burger actually is received (as I think most of us know). This piece is a billboard that shows a highly realistic hamburger that advertises it's falseness. It is interesting how the ingredients in hamburgers from most fast foods have a lot of preservatives and fillers. 

This piece was done in 80lb Arches watercolor paper, watercolor pencils and Windsor&Newton watercolors. 

False Advertising

This next piece is an observance on how "food deserts" affect the weight and health of Americans. Food deserts occur in poor neighborhoods. They happen when a neighborhood cannot afford to support a grocery store because fast food undersells them. Many families choose fast foods because they can feel fuller on less money, even though they are aware that the food quality is poor. Once the grocery stores are out of business, the area had limited fast food places and becomes the only "oasis" for families in those neighborhoods. 

Piece done on Arches 80lb paper, Windsor&Newton watercolors, watercolor pencils and gouache. 

Food Desert

These final two pieces of the series consider the actual eating behaviors of society. I wanted to keep it the modern poster style advertising. You can see how the contrast of the man and the McDonald's logo are almost battling for your visual attention. You can see the culprit behind the man's physical condition, and it is not a secret! 

This piece is done on Arches 80lb paper, designer's gouache, and india ink.

Americans

This final piece is the addition of all the previous themes, and in my opinion the cream of this series. It is about how families who eat McDonalds are affecting the health of their children even before they are born. Women who are pregnant and art eating those fast food burgers because they are constantly on the go, prefer it, or cannot afford to do otherwise, are feeding the same foods to their unborn child. All of the preservatives and fillers and grease all are shared with the child and could have some health risks (there is no study but we all should know the only good foods are real and organic!) In addition these eating behaviors are modeled by parents after birth, so children often are content to eat McDonalds, are even trained to crave it. In this sense I wanted to create a similar movie poster style painting, with a horror aspect. 

This piece is done on Arches 80lb paper, Windsor&Newton Watercolor paints, and india ink. 

You Are What You Eat