Many of your
paintings could be photographs, why does painting these scenes make
them better?
Firstly,
I'm not technically proficient enough to realize these works as photographs,
but in truth I actually prefer them as paintings. Painting allows for a certain
amount of flexibility and I think it more easily opens up the possibilities for what can be done. I also enjoy the challenge that painting presents - to be
able to depict what I'm trying to create in a convincing fashion. It's not
automatic either and it takes time to accomplish that goal but I enjoy the
process.
What do the smoke, balls, glowing light, and other surrealistic elements applied to everyday scenes represent?
They don't
really have a ton of specific meaning to me in that one thing means this and
another thing means something different, these elements are more there to give
the paintings a surreal or psychological edge. Overall I'd say there's no one
correct way to read each painting, the onus is on the viewer to fill in the
gaps of meaning for themselves. And that's really what I'm most interested in
for these paintings. Different people have different interpretations depending
on how they see the work and what experiences they bring to it.
Do you personally know most of the
people in your paintings, especially the ones with close up and detailed views
of the faces?
For the
most part yes. I prefer to have actual people pose for me (who I will
photograph and use as reference for a given painting) and those people tend to
be friends or people I know. There are some instances where I've had to use
images from various online sources but ideally I try to find friends to pose
for me.
I’m curious to know if you were
bored or dissatisfied as a child growing up in the Midwest and the
things you saw made you fantasize about a more interesting world? Such
as, what if there were reflective metallic balls over this field?
No, I
wouldn't say I was bored with my surroundings growing up in the Midwest. Things
were pretty normal, for whatever that's worth. My interest in these kinds
of typical middle American settings has only really come up more recently, say
in the last five years or so, and I think it mostly is just a result of working
with what I see around me. There are interesting things to see here in flyover
country, you just have to be willing to look.
How old were you when you began to paint
and what were your ideas or themes like then?
I've been
doing art related things every since I was little, though that was mostly
doodling and drawing. I got into painting somewhat late (I guess) when I was in
my junior year at college. When I was first starting out with my own ideas I
was more interested in symbolism, everything had a specific meaning. But now
things are more generic, in the sense that I don't ascribe those
attributes to what I paint, things are more open ended now.
I read your CV, can you elaborate on
when you say …creating tension between what is familiar and what is
distinctly surreal. I’m wondering because for me personally I get a dreamlike
or calming feeling from your work and I was hoping you could tell me a bit more
about the aspect of tension.
I'd say there's some tension in the work but not all in equal measure. Mostly what I'm getting at with that is that there's a strange mix in my paintings, where most of the settings are familiar, maybe even uninspiring, everyday landscapes but within these seemingly mundane settings there's something strange going on, those elements that give the paintings a surreal or psychological edge. So there's a tension in having to reconcile with those two things that are existing in the same space. And like I said this isn't all in equal measure, there are some paintings that have more direct tension and even violent aspects - example, Highlands Ranch, Colorado - whereas others might be a little more quietly mysterious and not so jarring - as in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, etc.
What art do you have hanging on your
walls?
Umm, well
mostly my paintings at the moment. I would have more art from other artist
friends of mine but I just don't have a whole lot of space to do that right
now. I have a sculptural wall piece from an artist friend that's currently
living inside a box in my studio, eventually I'm planning on displaying it. I
do however have a small, growing collection of art books that I'm pretty proud
of, if that counts.
What are you working on now?
More
painting! Currently I'm working on a larger piece that is based off of some
photos I took on a weekend trip to Fort Dodge, Iowa. I'm excited to see how it
will turn out.
For more information on Nate Burbeck visit HERE.
No comments:
Post a Comment