![Jared Small - Why? [2015]](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5681/22911990906_0a22c2ecd5_o.png)
Jared Small grew up in Memphis. He’s familiar with decaying homes and neighbourhoods in the Southeastern region - they have always captivated him. As neighbourhoods undergo dramatic shifts in their socioeconomic makeup, the late Victorian houses have remained the same. Despite the countless facelifts to the exteriors over the years, the bones of the homes reveal solidity that is unrelenting. Small harnesses a style similar to magical realism. The centre of each painting focuses on a painstakingly accurate image of a house or individual while the background dissolves into abstract elements that devise an emotional and dramatic interpretation of the subject. This technique allows Small to hypnotise the viewer into a dream-like state, caught between the realities of the obvious image and the possible mysteries that lay beneath the surface.
[Davis Lusk Gallery, Memphis & Nashville - Oil on panel, 76.2 x 91.4 cm]