Shane Pierce is an artist from Missouri (currently based in North Carolina) who describes his life and art as “nomadic”—travelling, working in different creative fields, and populating his oil paintings with skull-faced suitcase-toting wanderers ( “‘a stranger comes to town’ type of theme,” as he describes it in a fascinating interview with Beautiful Bizarre). With white picket fences and neglected countryside graveyards, Pierce gives us some truly modern American noir—the creepiness of ordinary existence, manifested as a fracture of darkness and intrigue in a quiet rural setting. Each painting is packed with symbolism, inviting the viewer to interpret the mystery (and/or enjoy its ambiguity) themselves. Pierce has an aptly titled art book, “Nomads,” available on his website. Check out his Instagram here.

Images © Shane Pierce

Via Last Rites