When asked to describe her own pieces, Summer Wheat says they are “sensual, disturbing, ugly but beautiful,” and have a “skidrow messiness with refined elegance.” Critics have agreed with this characterization of Wheat’s work, which includes sculptural installation, drawing, and most notably painting. Wheat—who cites Sue Williams, Caroll Dunham, and Willem de Kooning as her favorite artists—makes figural depictions of anonymous individuals, using a selection of vividly clashing colors and thick impasto. She says that she looks for innovative ways to apply the paint to canvas, and has used syringes, mops, and brooms. Wheat has employed her garish and grotesque aesthetic to make social critique, as in the suite of works presented in her solo exhibition “Hi-Lo” (2012), which parodied members of both the wealthy and destitute classes.