BILLY SULLIVAN

Billy Sullivan has been painting and drawing portraits of an intimate collection of artists, entertainers, and friends for many years. His style of fresh and expressive paint strokes and marks demonstrates an urgency to capture the life, the intimacy of the moment.

In his works, we are able to feel the psychology of the sitter, whether it is a brooding shirtless tattooed punk or a well-dressed author. The gaze of the subject is always a gateway into the mood or psychology of the sitter, and conversely the artist as well. The portraitist John Singer Sargent comes to mind when looking at these relaxed subjects, some sitters in various stages of undress. As viewers, we feel a strong connection with the subject, as if we ourselves could be the artist, capturing the animated gaze of the sitter. More impressive still is Sullivan’s ability to make it all look effortless and natural. The economy of means to render a complete color world, to make the subject alive and animated, is always present.

In a visit to the artist’s studio, I was drawn in by the abundance colorful materials: an array of hundreds of pastels, tubes of oil paint, and photographs and sketches of friends. Shortly after, I invited Sullivan to make prints at Jungle Press. Drawing directly from life, Sullivan was able to capture the brooding gaze of “Aner” onto a lithographic stone. The nuances of touch and weight to the line bring out the artist’s abilities in this tender portrait.

For his next print, “8 Rue de Sedaine,” Sullivan chose a single pink flower in a bright blue and white vase on a bright red tablecloth. A snail slowly makes its way across the table. The balance of color and strong lines gives this still life a bold graphic quality.

Sullivan’s work brings forward a tradition of direct observation from life, and reveals his own dynamic perspective to make it all new again.

— Andrew Mockler