Familiar

• Fri, Feb 7, 2025 - Sat, Mar 29, 2025  
• Saturday, Feb 8, 2025  5pm - 7pm Art Reception

Houston artist Saralene Tapley presents Familiar, a series of 13 portraits featuring the faces of celebrities, politicians and social media influencers. The works mostly range around 4 x 3 feet in size, resulting in exaggeratedly oversized faces. Tapley chose these faces based on her connection to the expression and personality of the subject; a purely intuitive selection. Having seen these faces so often on social media and TV, it was almost as if she had met her subjects, and knowing every angle of their faces, it was not difficult to ascertain if the likeness was satisfactory. The portraits are anonymous, and not titled by name in order to allow the viewer to guess the subject. Tapley's painting process further deconstructs the identity of her subject. The faces are drawn and sketched out at an exaggerated scale, and then built up with paint through a puzzle like methodology that is almost sculptural. The proportions and color relationships are tested, considered and reconsidered through the construction process. The approach is slow, exact, and therapeutic, leaving Tapley with a great sense of satisfaction once the jigsaw comes together.

The final painting in the series is created loosely and spontaneously. Though it may seem inconsistent in its language with the other works, it is a departure giving a sneak peek into Saralene’s future.