In Red Ass, I wanted to capture the frantic, high-stakes kinetic energy of the classic elementary schoolyard wall ball game—where you threw a rubber ball or tennis ball against the brick wall, praying you wouldn’t bobble or drop it, because a single mishandle meant sprint-racing to touch the brick before another kid could scoop the ball and hurl it directly at your backside.
The composition is anchored by a vibrant, central block of blistering crimson and fiery red representing the wall of target heat, offset against a sky-blue upper margin and an earthy, urban base of weathered grey, slate, and dark asphalt tones. Heavy, impasto brushstrokes and aggressive knife gouges cut vertically and horizontally across the paper, creating a high-impact, chaotic rhythm of pitted brick textures, impact marks, and rapid movement that pulls the viewer straight into the heat of the playground scramble.
Working in oil on paper, the absorbent texture grounds the heavy paint layers while allowing the rough, energetic tool marks to stand out with raw intensity. Red Ass is about that visceral, adrenaline-fueled memory of raw playground rules, split-second reflexes, and the uncompromising sting of getting caught off guard.
