Rattle 

Troy Brooks's painting, "Rattle", captures a figure suspended in a surreal yet familiar pose, rendered with meticulous brushwork on canvas. Brooks employs traditional oil painting techniques, layering glazes to achieve the luminous quality of the subject's skin and hair. The figure's elongated features and exaggerated proportions suggest a nod to fashion illustration. But the way the paint is applied is what's really interesting here. Notice how the artist has blended his strokes to create a soft, almost photographic realism? This is especially evident in the way light catches the edges of her jacket. While the subject is smoking, this work seems to ask us to consider the value of human labor. The artist demands of the viewer to look closely at details such as brushstrokes to reflect on the artist's time, labor and skill, and also demands that we look to understand the relationship between fine art and craft.