Inhabiting a world of glitz and glamour, the subjects of Gina Higgins’ paintings seem engrossed in their own webs of secrets and drama. Each piece below is painted in Gina’s signature “American Noir” style, which she explains as a “neonoir homage” to film noir and French new wave film.
In Between Midnight and Dawn, a gorgeous starlet poses against a darkened urban backdrop lit only by the cinema and celebration.
Glowing neon signs create a blurred outline of buildings against the sky, casting a brilliant glow over this already radiant beauty while highlighting her feminine features and loose, romantic hair. She gazes intently ahead, acting as if she doesn’t know she’s in the spotlight, while clearly loving every minute of it.
Next, elegance reigns supreme in Crime of Passion where a well-dressed man and woman appear to be at their wits’ end—or perhaps just at the end of their dramatic relationship.
The pair’s monochromatic clothing against those luscious mauve and yellow walls create an air of sophistication, yet it’s the little details that really shine, from the woman’s finely pleated shirt to the intense dark black shadows in the man’s tux.
Even the woman’s blowing hair adds a flair for the cinematic, as her golden strands echo similar hues found in the wallpaper.
And lastly, in Shadow of a Doubt, it’s (yet again) clear that Gina knows a thing or two about the power of contrast!
The background of scattered colors is no match for the main focal point—a woman, stretched luxuriously across the canvas. Yet the gray shadow of a man across the scene doesn’t go completely unnoticed as he turns to depart.
Even so, our eyes are drawn back time and again to the woman’s stunning dress, with it’s dynamic pattern and texture. The soft, nearly translucent sleeves set off the ribbed, bold structure of the bodice and gown, whose rich red color is complemented by paler brushes of pink and peach in the background.
Gina’s work is exhibited in galleries on the West Coast and in Europe, but that doesn’t mean you can’t visit her website for your own private tour—head over now and take a look at the rest of her amazing paintings!
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