‘Canvas’ by Jordan Massarella

by Alison Rowley | Dec 13, 2017 | Education

Inspired by the bold 1960s palette of David Hockney, Nashwhite’s Jordan Massarella gets artsy in his first colour collection, ‘Canvas’

“For me, this was about playing with creative colour techniques and exploring the notion of ‘hair painting.’ I opted to work with a palette of primary colours, using hair as a canvas to create a series of tableaux on the surface, which was very much inspired by the work of one of my favourite artists, David Hockney. The collection was purely an opportunity to put some of my ideas down on paper (or on hair, as the case may be) and just… play!

I wanted colour to be the main focus of the collection in terms of shades and placement, so I decided to select a few of Hockney’s most famous scenes and recreate them in the hair. I experimented overlapping and layering the colours, mimicking the textures and feel he created on the canvas – simple but effective, playful but a little morose. The juxtaposition of the bright vivid colours against the simplistic styling, and the neutral stance of the model alludes to the idea of her being the ‘gallery’ and the hair being the ‘art’. This little collection is a step in the right direction for me, a chance to be creative and to see an idea come to fruition.”