Artist Expresses His Real Life Pain Through Shocking Images of His Avatar

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

When I wrote to Nath Baxton about SLAUGHTERHOUSE, his recent project, Nath’s response was so honest and generous, I hope I can do him justice. I have featured his earlier work, with a pop art aesthetic, bold deconstruction of his own photos, always filled with bright colors.

His new work shifts to black and white, with splashes and flashes of red that are visually shocking. 

The change in virtual aesthetics, he tells me, were inspired by challenges he recently faced in real life:

“I relapsed with drug use the weekend before the opening of the exhibition. I spent three days in bed with someone who means a lot to me getting high and once they left, the comedown of going cold turkey from both drugs and my romantic encounter hit hard.

“I created SLAUGHTERHOUSE in a few hours on one of the darkest nights of the comedown. It showcases the use of color I'm so well known for slowly exiting my being as a result of that weekend. I've always found color to be joyous but at that time I was the least joyful person in the world.”

I love how these pictures showcase that loss of self-possession, the melding of bodies and the descent into despair. He began by taking several macabre pictures in front of a green screen and laying them, using different layer styles along with distorted textures he had made earlier. 

He used Photoshop tools like the smudge brush to distort the images he shot and create a morphed reality. He continues, “Finally, I used the paint brush and lasso tool to create the red symbolizing the color still being found beneath the daunting imagery.”

He used Firestorm and Photoshop. The entire collection is an experiment with layering and layer styles.

I have tremendous respect for Nath’s willingness to share his despair and pain, not just with his art, but also in explaining how that despair inspired his work. The world still stigmatizes mental health issues like depression, despite the scientific recognition that these are physical illnesses with organic causes. Until our social beliefs catch up with the science, it takes a lot of courage to be so honest. 

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