Roy McMakin
Favorite Color, 2010
7596 Eads Avenue
20' x 20'
Leon & Sofia Kassel, Silvana & Alberto Michan – Wall Sponsors
Roy McMakin's Favorite Color is enchanting, visually playful, and came to fruition through the artist's collaborative concept. “The idea was very simple. I have always, since a child, been intrigued at both my own emotions around color preference, and also others. It has been important, and part of my identity to know what my favorite color is. I often recall times that I discussed color with my friends as a child and the talk always centered around preference. And I have found as an adult that most people still enjoy sharing what their favorite color is."
"My proposal for the wall in La Jolla was to create a visual document of what a somewhat arbitrary group of people, of various ages, etc., choose as their favorite color. I began the process by asking people their favorite color, and then I presented them with a selection of 4 to 6 colors, of which they choose the one that was closest to the color they liked best. For example, if someone said “blue”, then I showed them blue swatches and they chose one. One square was painted that color. I like the idea that this takes place at a certain time, and that the ultimate form of the mural was dictated by the number of folks that showed up.”
Roy McMakin is an artist whose predominantly sculptural practice includes architecture and furniture through which he demonstrates a deep engagement with the artistic potential of domestic objects and environments. He was born in 1956 in Lander, Wyoming. He studied conceptual art making under artists Allan Kaprow and Manny Farber at the University of California, San Diego, where he received both his BA and MFA. McMakin resists the conventional forms of art making through the push and pull of form and function. He seeks to bring art into the everyday as opposed to putting it on a pedestal with work that is both accessible and functional. Many of his sculptures are inspired by or incorporate found furniture. The artist reworks these objects of American domesticity, adjusting size and material to change how they are traditionally understood.
Since 1980, McMakin has had numerous solo exhibitions including at the Seattle Art Museum and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; and his work is featured in many permanent collections including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Hammer Museum of Art, Los Angeles; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. McMakin lives and works in San Diego, California.
Photos by Philipp Scholz Rittermann