Nipple Ring 2017

David Michael Hinnebusch made this painting, Nipple Ring, with layered collage and bold strokes of watercolor and ink. I can almost feel Hinnebusch building up this composition, trying to find a balance between the cool blues and the fiery reds and oranges. It's like he's wrestling with the materials, letting the accidents happen, and then responding with these decisive black marks that anchor the whole thing. I see cut fragments of text, maybe even ads, peeking through—a real mix of high and low culture. There’s this rawness and honesty, which I admire. He’s not trying to hide the process; he's embracing the messiness. It reminds me a bit of Twombly, but with a punk rock edge. It’s like he’s saying, “Here it is, take it or leave it.” And I kind of love it. It’s all part of the never-ending conversation between artists, pushing each other to see things in new ways.