Inspired by early animation from the 1930’s, artist Joe Scarano creates surreal characters trapped in time. As he tells us, “I love the bizarre aesthetic from back then, people didn’t shy away from saying sad or frightening things, especially in kids books or nursery rhymes. I try to bring some of that sadness to my work.. it’s OK for people to be sad now and then.” Indeed, his characters with their bucktoothed grins and huge, hollowed eyes, seem like they’re longing for another life. Unable to escape the maze in their minds, they become prisoners of their own volition. As Scarano says, “In a lot of my newer pieces I have been exploring the idea of these characters or creatures escaping their current situation… trying to get out of town or escape to somewhere where they can be themselves. I think it’s a theme most people can identify with. I started to tackle some of that awkwardness that plagues us a children in some of my school portrait paintings. I always found these childhood rituals to be very uncomfortable. Having two youngsters running around the house has made me start recalling a lot of the awkwardness of childhood.”
