“By the Light of the Tiny Death Devils” by L, marker on fairy paper

L has never been concerned with staying inside the lines. Perhaps the most controversial young artist since Mapplethorpe, L never fails to challenge the viewer on esoteric, emotional and very personal levels. Art critic and smart person Brad DeMarea once likened viewing L’s work to “cheese grating your knees.” Spot on. In “By the Light of the Tiny Death Devils”, L has created one of her most simplistic yet monstrous works to date. It’s a study in double meaning. The color palette is harmless enough, yet brilliantly, all the colors are in the wrong places. Blue faces, green necks, Peter Criss-style makeup; are these gentle fairies or angels of death? And note the jagged marker strokes; staccato stabs where charming crayon is usually found. The result is unsettling, and by design. For L doesn’t want you too close and comfy with her work. She wants to light your face on fire.