"Old Propaganda Posters"
Title: "Old Propaganda Posters"
by Jay Koka, © 2015
60”w x 44”, acrylic on canvas, Private Collection
For 2015, Koka takes us to southeast Asia.
“ ‘Old Propaganda Posters’ is an amalgam of Saigon and Hanoi recently visited by Cathy, my wife, and me.” says Jay Koka, “We were walking in the old Chinese quarter when I rounded a corner and saw the sign: 'Old Propaganda Posters'. It literally stopped me dead in my tracks… I knew there was a painting here but how do I construct it? The idea was formed and crystalized a few minutes later when a Gallardo rounded a nearby corner.”
“I love paintings that present great contrasts and perhaps even clashing forgrounds and backgrounds. The old quarter with its cluttered art shops, flower sellers and purveyors of just about everything has a feeling of age, perhaps even pleasantly decayed. Contrast this with the the very newest and the very latest… which the Ferrari LaFerrari most certainly is.”
“It took a very large painting, 60 inches wide by 44 inches to be able to capture the level of detail that I felt the painting needed to communicate this foreground-background contrast.” continues Koka, “I am really pleased by the detail depth and wide range of colors in the background... and the LaFerrari is no slouch either. I was looking for a very delicate balance of the car in motion but just barely… I wanted to show every aspect of this awesome car.”
“I find world travel invigorating for my soul and of immense influence on my art. Direct personal experience of a location is invaluable in interpreting and transferring the scene to the canvas. I know it sounds corny, but all places have a very unique feel that I endeavor to get across in the work.”