Current mood - opening July 25th at Thinkspace Gallery in Culver City CA.
This new series of works for “Current Mood" started during the pre-Covid19 quarantine. The original painting that inspired this direction was based on an experience the artist had as a child. He would have this recurring event, from about the age of 7 to 15, where he would wake up and see what looked to be like a Native American mask sticking out from under my bed in various locations, watching me sleep, when he would awake and see it, the mask would vanish before his eyes or disappear under his bed. Hurd’s mother instilled fear in him, through her religious beliefs, that this was the work of Satan and that he needed to pray for his soul. His mother's efforts of fear won him over and he spent many years worried about the reappearance of the masks and their meaning.
Recently, Hurd has started doing some soul searching and really forcing himself to face his hidden fears, and in doing so, set out to create a version of these masks / protectors from his childhood. The practice has evolved into endless explorations that have taken on many new meanings. These masks continue to take on new meaning, as our political climate continues to spiral, racial struggles come to the forefront, the LGBTQIA community have their rights stripped away, and the resulting fear that can be witnessed in people the world over. The masks act as the skin under our skin, a shield for our ever changing moods and emotions. They are a shield to help us face to the world evolving around us. "Current Mood” aims to set the tone of America at large. The good, the bad, and the indifferent. It’s a face we can each relate to a different way.
