From MTV To Art: “The Hills” In Pastels

Vancouver-based artist Karin Bubaš was watching “The Hills” last year when she realized the range of emotions shown by the characters on the MTV reality show would make for good art, especially since so many of us are familiar with the drama depicted, so she decided to recreate some of the show’s epic moments using soft chalk pastels.

With so much raw emotion expressed every week, how did Karin decide what to draw? “I spent too many hours combing through episodes looking for the perfect moments,” she told us. “There were certain key times that I knew I had to find, like Lauren’s black mascara tears, the infamous Justin Bobby outfit that consisted of a hoody with a hat on top, the Spencer/Cameron altercation, and the Spencer/Heidi’s Mom fight. Sometimes there would be just nice lighting or an interesting expression that I thought could make a great portrait.”

Watching and rewatching fights that ended in mascara-laden tears wasn’t too horrible for Karin since she’s a fan of “The Hills,” with Lauren and Whitney’s workplace woes at both Teen Vogue and People’s Revolution among her favorite storylines. But Karin has become concerned for the show’s future: “I fear the demise of ‘The Hills’ with new cast members like Stacey ‘The Bartender’ and Kristen.” At least her artwork is here to commemorate the show in its prime.

Karin Bubaš’ exhibit, “With Friends Like These…” opened Tuesday at the Charles H. Scott Gallery in Vancouver, Canada, and runs through Sept. 13.