Invisible Ink

Invisible Ink

paintings by Andy Slater

presented as alt text. To view this exhibition the use of a screen reader is required. To learn how to use Apple VoiceOver, Android Talk Back, or Microsoft Narrator please scroll below the image gallery.

Witnesses

6 ft x 4 ft, oil on canvas 2020

In the foreground and at the bottom right corner of this painting is a splintering wooden stake. Under each splintered piece is a darker shade of the gray and brown wood. There are numerous splinters up and down the stake making it look like rigid cornsilk. There is a metal chain with tiny links tied around the middle of the stake . The chain leads behind the stake and into the center of the painting. The tarnished metal chain is rolled around a painted stone. The stone is in the shape of a large turtle and is colored like an Easter egg: multiple pastels with tangental color lines. It holds the chain down to the cement ground. The taught chain casts no shadow. The bright rock is the focal point of this painting. Its presence is undeniable as it contrasts the gray sky and ground. There is no definite horizon and the gray dusty cement blends with the overcast sky. Directly above the rock at the top of the painting floats a fuzzy small white square shaped object. It appears to be far off in the distance but the unconfirmed horizon makes it hard to judge.

Landing Site

6 ft x 4 ft, oil on canvas 2020

In the center of this image is a white cube. Above it is a pitch black sky. The cube is bright enough to illuminate the ground before it. Inside of the cube lies a sleeping person. Their back is facing forward and their features are hidden. Their feet are positioned on the left side of the cube and their head on the right. They are draped in a short navy blue blanket. The blanket looks to be silk with a golden lantern design. The blanket does not cover the person’s legs and they are naked from the knees down. On the back of their left calf is a scar shaped like a chisel. The figure casts a faint shadow on the dirt outside of the cube. The dirt is a mix of yellow sand and dark soil with bone white chips layered within. In the sand there are series of drifts that form river shaped lines that end in a blurry delta. The delta sand is dark and extends to the lower right corner of the painting. On the opposite side the deep brown soil fades to a black shadow. The two bodies of sand and dirt meet in the middle blending in a vertical zig zag pattern. From a further point of view the small white chips in the soil appear like a constellation in the dirt.

Who’s Day Is It?

4 ft x 2.5 ft, mixed media on wood 2019

This piece is cut in the shape of an old television. There is a tv screen in the middle flanked with2 large round knobs on each side. There are 2 short legs on the left and right side of the bottom of the TV. They are white. The rest of the body is bright yellow. Each knob is colored differently. The top left knob is colored light blue and has a red letter V on it The bottom left knob is red with a blue letter R on it. The top right knob is white with a light green dot in the center. The bottom right knob is pink with a white square in the middle. In the center is the TV screen. It is rounded at its corners and wider than it is tall. There is a thin silver frame around the screen that looks to be real metal. Inside the area of the screen are 6 square sections: 3 on top and 3 on the bottom. Each section has a different image in it. The sections left to right and top to bottom are as follows: Top Left: A young boy with a large smile showing a missing tooth. He has lime-green skin and red freckles. His face is cropped to only show a few strands of white hair. The boy’s shirt collar points out from the lower right corner and pushes against his smiling cheek. To the left of his face are the words, “Oil 4 Dinner.” The text is written in a bold black font with each word stacked on top of another. The text sits on a yellow background that matches the body of the TV. Top middle: In the center is an upside down ice cream cone. The ice cream is white as if it is vanilla. The cone is tan with a checkerboard pattern throughout. The triangle tip of the cone looks to have had a small bite taken out of it and the white ice cream drips down the side. The ice cream cone sits on a pink background Top right: In the bottom left corner of this square is the orange tip of a glue bottle. The tip has vertical black lines representing ridges. The top of the bottle cap has black splotches on it. They are small and round. There is a thin black line connecting the top of the orange tip to the upper right corner of the square. It is straight with no curves. Beneath the line sits a real silver dollar. The coin has been covered in white glue. The word”dollar” is visible under the dried glue. Bottom left: A close view of an eyeball with a large black pupil. A thin ring of blue surrounds the pupil. Tiny thin veins take the shapes of red snakes on the white background of the eye. The top and bottom eyelashes are clumped together with make up. The clumps look like the black tip on the glue cap in the previous square. Bottom middle: A thin pink hand with painted nails and rings is in the center of the square. The back of the hand is facing forward and the fingers are pointing upward. The hand’s nails are long and sharpened to a point. Each finger is painted white with a silver decal letter on it. From left to right: The letter “A” on the pinky, “R” on the ring finger, “R” on the middle finger, “O” on the fore finger, and finally a W”” on the thumb. The pinky and middle finger each have the same designed rings on them. A silver band with one turquoise stone. The hand is smooth with no dimples. The background of the square is green and matches the skin of the boy in the first square. Bottom right: The final square contains a scene from a birthday party. Six children gather around a cake. Three boys and three girls all dressed in red jumpsuits with yellow epaulets On their shoulders. They each wear matching yellow hard hats and have green skin like the boy featured in the first square . They stand around a white pedestal holding a cake. The frosting on the circular cake is pink. The one sole candle shoots a silver flame into the air that rises above the kids’ heads and extends beyond the frame of the scene. In the back hangs a black and white polka dot banner with the words, “Who’s Day Is It?” written in bold yellow type. The background is made of blue gaffer’s tape and is cut out around the drawing of the birthday scene.

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