HAPPY FASHION PORTRAIT MONDAY!

Michael Carson, "Backstage", Oil on Canvas

Phoenix-based artist Michael Carson is the ultimate observer, gaining inspiration from those he sees on the streets.  In the era of cell phones and technology, this habit of people-watching seems to be on a downslide, but for Carson this is the best way to create his subjects.  The figures often look distracted or even bored, an emotion he takes right from the people he watches as they hustle and bustle to the next part of their day.  The figures are generally chic and well-dressed young men and women, wearing trendy outfits that reflect the artist's love for fashion. Patterns on clothes or curtains, along with painterly drips and a neutral colour palette bring this back into the realm of art, as we can get distracted by the figures themselves (and what they are wearing).  Be sure to check this painter out for some incredible works, and maybe even some fashion inspiration!