March 2, 2015 | Posted in:Vellum News

When I first walked into Nick Payne’s show on the LES at 247365,  I was reminded of a kindergarten classroom.  Hung in a narrow cellar-like environment Payne’s collection of loosely drawn watercolors echoed a strange hybrid of children’s coloring books. Upon closer inspection, the marks moved outside the lines and depicted adolescent subject matter and general weirdness. The show’s title the mind’s arm references the act of drawing and is perhaps a sarcastic play on psychological terminology . Payne’s motifs mostly featured half man-half beast hybrids in relationship-centric scenarios. There’s an endearing quality to them which make it all enjoyable. The variety of colors speak to humor which play on cartoons, animae and porn.  Payne is a RISD graduate and has the quirky imagination the school is known for.