From condiment-less hotdogs labeled “Best Practices” to hairless ankles labeled “Male Pattern Baldness,” the paintings of Scott Patt poignantly tap into the humor that exists within the mundane. His current exhibit, “Bigger. Smaller. Funnier” at the Winston Wachter Gallery in New York colorfully portrays thoughts and emotions that are universally relatable, and likely the result of a painfully self-aware human being.
The exhibit is the culmination of Patt dedicating himself to sketching, painting, and uploading a unique colorful painting onto social media, every single day, for an entire year.
“I gained almost 40lbs in one year, painted in the same black shirt and blue pants, sketched thousands of sketches in 7 sketchbooks, painted 369 pieces, knocked back a few and memorized too many Kanye West songs.”
He began the “Bigger. Smaller. Funnier.” project after he was inspired by a poorly translated saying on a wall in China. It became his mantra for expanding his creative career, which lead to the idea of letting the feedback he got on social media dictate the style of the paintings, and ultimately assist in curating the exhibit.
Like Warhol and Lichtenstein before him, Patt utilizes the bold styles of pop art in order to make the ails of human existence entertaining and beautiful. He would take snippets of conversations (“Jennifer Aniston Butt Grab”) or personal thoughts (“Its All I Drink About”) and render them appealing by funneling them through a familiar commercial lens. In doing so, he hopes viewers will become more aware of their own feelings that occur each day – whether they’re the good, the bad, or the ugly.
Patt has worked as a designer for brands such as Nike, Converse and Giorgio Armani, and has been featured in publications like The Wall Street Journal and Paper Magazine.
“Bigger. Smaller. Funnier” is on view until the end of August, but you can click here to see (or buy!) the entire collection online. Or, watch the video below that details the creation process.
