“An Introspective on Art and Identity,” Art, Sean Godfrey.
The pieces featured aren’t relatively recent; however, they serve as good reflections of progression and experimentation with his style, choice of medium, and subject matter over the past three or so years. From a simple, half shrouded self-portrait study during a COVID semester to a piece addressing an ongoing shortcoming within the US police force, a visual narrative is told through the various ways Sean learned to apply and layer oil paints to emphasize value and how he also attempts to incorporate those same techniques into his linework, sketching, and slight water coloring as well, giving his art a distinct look and style to call his own. With dynamic, comic book-y anatomical choices and poses as an homage to one of his primary media influences.
While he may not always aim to make a political statement with each piece, he strives for his artwork to reflect how the world and culture around him influence and contribute to his own identity as a Black artist. For art, in every medium, is inherently personal. One could say that even a brief look at the evolution of Sean’s artwork from a technical standpoint parallels an understanding of the role that art plays in conveying the political as well as the personal in not only everyday life but also surely the lives of creatives before and after him.
-Sean Godfrey, 2024.
“model study - red”. oil on canvas. 2021. 9 x 12.
An oil painted composition of a black fashion model in the foreground done in Cadmium Red with a soft pink background.
“model study – yellow.” 2021. 9 x 12.
“model stud -blue.” 2021. 9 x 12.
“poise in blue.” collage on mixed media board. 2022. 4.5 x 12.
A collage using watercolor, ink, and graphite sketches to create the figure of a police officer saluting. The multiple panels clueing in to the dog whistles and alt-right culture inherent in the US police system.
“self portrait with covid mask.” Oil on canvas. 2020. 9 x 12.
Oil painted self portrait of the artist wearing a sweatshirt and a white covid mask.
Born in Montgomery, AL, Sean Godfrey is a southern-based multi-disciplinary artist and model with an aim to explore the culture, upbringing, and identity of himself and those surrounding his everyday life; for 3–4 years, his level of detail is shown through his painterly compositions and his more rough and scratchy style of sketching. Self-taught, Sean incorporates both traditional and digital practices into his work and has shown work in multiple Alabama art galleries as well as won two show awards. He has also hosted and taken part in many successful art sales in his area.