Here comes the sophisticated arty bit of Zips It Up…. Can you tell the difference between these artist illustrations and the real thing? Nope, neither can I.
For some, shoes are a thing of convenience to slip on without much afterthought. For many others, however, footwear means so much more — she says, having witnessed husband and son endlessly checking out new trainers on the internet.
Artist Ken Solomonis a self-declared sneakerhead and expresses this passion through these watercolour paintings of trainers. He’s from Brooklyn, New York.
When asked what inspired him to paint trainers, Solomon said: “I love the idea of hundreds of objects that share virtually the exact same form, all oriented the same way. But within that form, they all have a completely unique look, style and visual flavour.”
When Solomon started these paintings, he chose styles based on personal nostalgia. They were reflections and representations of trainers or sneakers that he had worn in the past.
For the painter, sneakers have a deeper meaning than just a type of shoe.
“They represent people,” explained Solomon. “So much of what I do uses iconographic, commercially recognizable imagery and subjects but then is about personal taste and about dialogue.”
Solomon’s ultrarealistic paintings are no simple task. The artist said that the two most challenging types of sneakers to paint are “contemporary running shoes, with their tiny tight mesh patterns and wildly busy textures, as well as all-white, relatively flat textured plain sneakers since all-white is painted by looking at shadows and contrasts that pop off of an all-white sheet of paper.”
If he had to choose one shoe that personifies him, Solomon nominated the original Adidas Stan Smith sneaker. “Classic. Appears simple, but complicated to paint,” Salomon said.
If you fancy one of these up in your lounge or bedroom:
Solomon’s pieces can be found at Kensolomon.com, at Lootfocker.com, and on Instagram at ken_solomon_studio.
