Noon

Noon Slaps (b. 1994) makes abstract paintings that incorporate blob-like forms, winding linework, and vivid complementary colors. A self-taught artist, they layer watercolors, acrylics, gouache, alcohol markers, and gel pens in wild combinations. Their unconventional painting tools include toothbrushes and a trusty fork they've held onto for years. “I make my own art rules and I break those too,” they laugh. Increasingly, Noon has folded collage techniques into the mix, using a hole puncher to build a varied collection of circles. They’re arranged into compositions of complex symmetry, calling to mind cosmological diagrams.

One prominent area Noon draws inspiration from is the world of biology. “Even back in school I was mesmerized by microscopic photography of cells, especially the mitochondria.” They gravitate to these shapes and patterns at the same time that they carry tension. Noon has a dual diagnosis of schizophrenia and autism, and germs and bacteria have been a frequent trigger. The drawings and paintings seesaw between these personal anxieties and a celebration of beautiful forms. 

Noon hopes to help others use drawing in a therapeutic capacity. After a 2017 surgery left their hand in a cast, the artist was amazed by the fact that they could still draw. By pushing a pen through the cast, loosely gripping it between their thumb and forefinger, and moving their whole hand, they were delighted in creating loose, undulating blobs. “I spent so much time drawing then - and it helped me so much.” Noon currently lives in the Lincoln Square neighborhood and has been a member of Project Onward since 2022.