Hello again! Things have been pretty quiet around here lately, but not for lack of ACTION. I’m actually making more art now than at any other time since graduating from Art Center, it’s just not all my own.
I got started in the fabrication industry in October 2009. At the time I was sporadically employed, feeling ill-equipped and insecure after being released from the cozy confines of art school and tossed into the job market. Fine art had always interested me (more than illustration, to be honest. It was my desire to become an excellent draftsman and technically adept with a variety of media that guided me into Art Center’s Illustration program), but my understanding of the nuts-and-bolts, everyday day life of working artists was abstract and feeble at best. I felt paralyzed by ignorance and It wasn’t long before I found myself regretting having never taken an internship while in school. There was more to learn and I knew the best place to do it was the workplace.
Opportunity came knocking when I was offered a position at Carlson & Company (thanks to the persuasive efforts of Chris Garcia, a former classmate and talented artist) ). Before I knew it I was on the shop floor working on massive stainless steel Jeff Koons sculptures. It was hard work and long hours but I grew to love the collaborative spirit in the shop and all the outlandish tools, materials, processes, and people I was being exposed to. After Carlson shut down I wanted to continue down the fabricators path, but I wasn’t sure how to relocate it. Thankfully it wasn’t long before I met Colin Roberts and began assisting him with his stunning “glass” pillows. Once again I was being exposed to materials, procedures, and ideas that tested my prowess and broadened my horizons.
Work was good but intermittent. It afforded me studio time but I needed consistent income if I wanted any measure of independence. I resumed the job hunt, and after many frustrating months of dead ends, shady connections and applying for positions only obtusely associated with creativity, I had the good fortune of meeting Analia Saban (thanks, again, to the power of networking and the artist/curator/friend, Lucy Fabio). Analia’s work and my skills were a good match, and since we began working together in February 2011 both have advanced into uncharted territory.
After two years of making art alongside other artists this line of work is only getting more interesting. I love starting the day not knowing what new information and challenges will come my way. Where developing creative solutions to unusual problems is standard practice and the work I help create is sent far and wide for exhibition. These days I’m working 5-7 days per week so my studio time is at a premium. I’m still at it though so I appreciate your understanding when there’s a bit of a dry spell on my beloved blog. Stay tuned for a look at some recent illustration projects and a new painting in progress.
Glass Pillow by Colin Roberts, part of an amazing (and highly collectible) series of plexiglass mosaics.
Blue Bear by Analia Saban, cast acrylic paint on linen.
Posted by Curran @ 6:53 pm on December 18, 2011. Discuss ()
