Artist's Statement

In my recent works I explore themes related to costume and alter-egos. By depicting a variety of real-life performers from various genres, most often focusing on the reemerging burlesque subculture, I provoke that urge within to do something unconventional and become someone new, if only temporarily. I paint real yet fantastic individuals who eschew the ordinary as their costumes become their eccentricities and the lines between their stage characters and their actual selves blur. My subjects often adorn or even alter their bodies, and I investigate the motivations behind such ostentatious modifications: Do these superfluities help to further express some authentic truth within or are they a diversion from a secret pain or perceived shortcoming? Ultimately, my hope is that these paintings allow the viewer to live vicariously through the subject and at least momentarily experience the feeling that they have run away with the circus.

Artist's Resumé : Contact Information : Lacey's Blog : Press