As The Spectacle of Excess revives from its slumber (it’s been a year, hasn’t it??) we are thrilled to present a new interview in our Art of Wrestling series. Lindsay’s wrestling art caught my attention because she captures so much magic with such a challenging mix of media. Spray paint, ballpoint pen, acrylic, colored pencil–it takes all this to get these paintings just so in a very nuanced and subtle way, and that’s what’s so remarkable about her work. Lindsay joins a number of other distinguished wrestling artists in our interview series, which you can read here, here, here, here, and here.
Spectacle of Excess: When did you start painting wrestlers? And how has your work evolved since then?
Lindsay: Around 2018? I had just been let go from a cushy designer job and was panicking over my latest feelings of inadequacy. (I think they call that imposter syndrome?) It was mostly for exercise/study purposes: I would go through the WWE photo galleries after each TV show and do quick studies on captures that I thought were interesting. Since then, I have developed way too many preferences for who I draw and what quality my reference photos come in. The most difficult thing for me, as a wrestling fan, is there is no shortage of material or subjects. I want to capture everything!
Eddie Kingston vs Cody Rhodes (2021) Acrylic, ballpoint pen, colored pencil
Eddie Kingston is one of the best and most important wrestlers active today. This is a completely biased statement that I have just typed up but believe with every fiber of my being. This was from his debut at AEW, and each time they don’t capture him from every angle on film, it is, frankly, a waste, in my opinion.
This is currently my favorite piece I’ve made. It’s on a high quality wood panel that I treated myself to, and it takes all my layering and heavy handed mark making like a champ. Without waxing too poetic, I chose this image mostly because it was a sharp, high quality shot. While he’s one of the most expressive wrestlers out there, this is a fairly neutral expression to render, but that almost lends itself to a more natural and candid portrait. At first I was going to omit the rope, but I was hooked on the idea of rendering the cast shadow from it. Plus, it defines some spatial relations nicely, and it creates a strong contrast against Kingston’s implied movement. The pin up artist in me was also jumping at the chance to render his eyebrows and eyelashes, because–come on–he’s like the most gorgeous man ever. As I was posting my progress to Twitter, a mutual friend commented that I “nailed the King’s smoulder” and I felt like the most powerful illustrator in all the land.
–Lindsay on Eddie Kingston vs Cody Rhodes
SofX: Your wrestling art is all about capturing moments in the ring. Facial expressions, holds–fleeting moments. What is it about these particular moments that captures your attention?
L: The drama! Animation is one of my favorite mediums of art, so things like nonverbal cues and body language is something that gets my attention. Moments like submission holds have so much beauty in the precision and posing, and then you bring in the expressions! Is someone about to tap out from being pushed to a physical limit? Is their opponent sneering or tranquil? All the tension is so palpable and resonates with me, I feel like I need to pay homage to it.
SofX: Your process of layering colors on your paintings looks extensive. How do you decide what colors are next, and how do you know when you’re finished layering?
L: This might sound weird, but I treat my pieces almost like I’m dying hair? I heard a hairdresser once say they “work around the color wheel” when treating a client who dyes their hair frequently. It’s best to travel through similar colors/temperatures instead of bouncing between opposites. I tend to start with warmer colors, yellow, orange, red, magenta, and work monochromatically. Layering as part of my work helps preserve the underpainting and lets the colors come through if I so choose. Once I have a relatively solid underpainting, I sneak in a cooler color like yellow-green or violet to create areas of contrast. A professor once said that you can sneak almost any color into anything and have it make sense, so once I feel like I’ve utilized a rainbow fairly well I start to feel like my piece is complete.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs Cody Rhodes (2020) Spray paint, acrylic, ballpoint pen, mixed media
MJF is an incredible performer to me, especially in a contemporary context where a wrestler’s character is so dependent on social media presence. He completely shreds the idea of the parasocial relationship between a performer and their fans, and few look better bathed in blood than he does. But that is a conversation meant for another time. This was referenced from a Scott Lesh photograph (at Revolution maybe?) Originally this was a sketchbook drawing that I kept layering on (if you look you can see the paper seam on his stomach) and the wood it is mounted on had a painting of another wrestler I had started, but that was one of the major persons named in Speaking Out. Naturally I had no interest in depicting a serial rapist in any sort of positive light, so I completely buried him under layers of spray paint, and I asked myself, who will never let me down (hopefully)? No one better than America’s Sweetheart, Maxwell Jacob Friedman. Backgrounds are something I give myself a lot of grief over, because I seldom render them, but portraits give me the ability to abstract them and weave them into part of the narrative. In this instance, we have chaotic colors whirling around (as well as some glitter) in a psychedelic swirl. I wanted that disorienting, almost lava lamp kinetic energy surrounding him as he anchored himself on the rope for support. MJF serves as a visual resting place for himself and the viewer. I’m pleased with the expression as well. It doesn’t match my reference entirely, but it conveys the repose, reflection, and a slow boil rage that I feel appropriately illustrates the moment.
–Lindsay on Maxwell Jacob Freedman vs Cody Rhodes
SofX: Who are your favorite artists? What artistic periods or movements resonate most with you?
L: Ralph Steadman, Gil Elvgren, and Akira Toriyama. (Just to keep it brief!) I am most drawn to advertising/poster art, animation, comic, and editorial art. I love generating conversation around art pieces, and the psychology behind leading the viewer through a piece. I’m also really into folk art from anywhere, as that has always held more relevance as a cultural zeitgeist than something corporate. I love any plush romanticism in my paintings, but the reductiveness of mid century modern poster art is something that also appeals to me. I am a woman of contrasts, hahaha.
SofX: What do you think about the idea that wrestling is a “spectacle of excess”?
L: I had never heard this quote before but I think it’s right on the nose. Like anyone else, I have had a lot of changes throughout 2020 and into 2021, and I often say something like, “I have too much happening right now and I could care less what happens with wrestling tonight.” Moments later, because I am a creature of habit, I find myself getting swept up by the cowboy whistle in Hangman’s entrance music. Everything about wrestling is so grandiose and intoxicating, it’s hard for me not to be ensnared by it almost immediately. Even stripped down to its barest distillation, a promo or even a tweet, the best performers are able to rope me in within seconds. It doesn’t matter if they’re in a packed arena or a VFW with an audience of 100 people, in that moment, the gravity of their performance makes it the most monumental display of athletic prowess and improvisation ever.
Jon Moxley vs Thumbtack Jack (4 Corners of Hell Dog Collar Deathmatch) (2019) Acrylic & ink
Dog Collar matches are my favorite type of gimmick match. I love the literal tether (and the weaponizing of it) that binds the two fighters together. This match in particular took place at The Tournament of Death 2009, which was outdoors. The contrast of a debris covered ring with a sunlit meadow behind it is imagery that really appealed to me. This was my first attempt at making a deathmatch piece, and it still remains one of my favorites. Initially, I wanted to paint this on a VHS tape, but I had a cradled wood craft sign that was much larger. Technically this isn’t a “proper” canvas, and this is painted on what should have been the back. Tiny little staple holes are visible at the bottom of the panel. I left them visible because I enjoy the unpolished look, and it felt like it parallels the aesthetic of indie wrestling, like, you might be able to see some of the rougher edges, but as an entire picture it’s still a polished piece of art. While working on this I referenced a photograph by Lyle C. Williams and screenshots from a Youtube rip of the match. Because of the lower quality of the screenshots, most things weren’t as crisp as I wanted them to be, so I was able to use nice big blobs of color to render. Fun trivia: in August 2019 I was able to see Jon Moxley at a smaller indie show and delivered it to him in person. He thanked me profusely, and I replay the moment in my head where he held it and said, “Oh fuck yes, this is rad as shit, fuck yes, thank you!”
–Lindsay on Jon Moxley vs Thumbtack Jack (4 Corners of Hell Dog Collar Deathmatch)
Follow Lindsay on Twitter (@lindsayraegun) and check out her body of work on Instagram here!
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