Posts Tagged ‘art’
Faith & Fortune “pop-up” store at 194 Cabot st. Beverly
Friday, April 2nd, 2010
We are very excited to announce what we hope is the first of many pop-up style shops for Faith & Fortune as we seek to grow our community! This April 9th-11th we will be hosting a mix of fashion, art, and local music in an effort to introduce you to some of the areas local talent while supporting a good cause.
A portion of all proceeds will go to local charity Beverly Bootstraps, whose kids are also contributing to our display of arts. Come on by and learn a little bit more about Bootstraps, Faith & Fortune, and some local talent!
email us at hello@faithfortune.com for more details/questions or to get involved!
Tags: art, boutique, cause, charity, music, pop up
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Part II of our interview with artist Ben MacAdam
Friday, March 19th, 2010
See our previous entry below for part I!
4)From looking at your work, you have a wide range of styles and abilities. How would you characterize your style?
In my paintings I have developed a consistent vocabulary and intentionally limited palette. I’ve been using painterly lines against sharper edges created with painter’s tape. From the work I produced in New York, I developed a sort of ‘editing of hand’ as I would describe it and have incorporated that since then. By ‘editing of hand’ I recall when I heard Jasper John’s say ‘I take something, do something to it, and then do something to that’. I took interest in working with that kind of freedom and layering of forms. Such freedom has also come from a concept Bruce Herman learned from Philip Guston, which is that a painting is like stuffing a mattress. (And I paraphrase the concept) If you put too much in it will overflow or pop out, but if there is something good going on it will turn up in another painting so you don’t need to fuss over it.
I can see now that my style came about from a variety of influences in my life and what interested me. I took elements from what I loved in the motion of video and even the crafts I did as a child. I’m drawn towards child-like mark-making. There is something so calming and confident about it. It has always seemed funny to me that we spend so much time as children learning how to draw and color and do crafts, but when we get older somehow it seems less valued. I recall how as a kid I used to always win these coloring contests at the local video store. I took them seriously and if I ever made a ‘mistake’ of coloring outside the lines, I would begin a new one. I can see how there is some connection now in that I am still drawn to the act of coming close to a line with paint, sometimes covering the line accidentally and then putting a new line back in its place and that is somewhat obsessive.
Marsh Stream, 12" x 39" acrylic on wood
5)Who are your artistic influences?
Jasper Johns, Rothko, Barnett Newman, Richard Diebenkorn, Richard Tutle, and Agnes Martin have had a strong influence on me. Minimalism has always appealed to me as well as diverse surface materials, using found objects, and simpler ways of seeing things. When I began painting abstract landscapes I was introduced to the work of Richard Diebenkorn at the Whitney in Manhattan. He was wonderfully describing space, balancing the use of line, and layers of color. He is an artist I keep going back to for inspiration and instruction.
6)How have you handled the business side of being an artist? Advice for those looking to make a career out of their talents?
The most important thing to do is to show up at the studio. Having a strong body of work is definitely at the root of being able to get it out there and to continue to sell. My first year out of college I was fortunate to show at a variety of restaurants, a small gallery, open houses and even a muscular clinic. Having those experiences helped me become more confident with the business side of dealing with people and being a professional artist. No matter how ‘insignificant’ a venue it may seem don’t be afraid to ask. Network and make yourself some business cards because you never know what connections may come of it. I highly recommend artists to study under or intern for other artists if they have the opportunity to see professional work being produced.
7)What are your favorite works of your own? What are you most proud of?
The series entitled ‘Northshore’ seemed to successfully convey what I discovered to be interested in and became a launch pad for all the work I’ve done since. The video piece ‘Linear Studies’ is an extension of how I am often looking at landscapes, which I am equally proud of.
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We would like to thank Ben for taking the time to thoughtfully consider these questions! We hope you’ve enjoyed some insight into what he does and how various influences in his life brought him there. If you would like to see more of his work, visit him at http://benmacadam.com or http://macadamdesign.com
Tags: art, artist, ben macadam, graphic design, interview
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Awesome art in unexpected places
Monday, February 15th, 2010
Art in unexpected places
Tags: apparel, art, Graffiti, graphic art, t shirt
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