{"id":12673,"date":"2012-08-12T12:49:49","date_gmt":"2012-08-12T21:19:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.furiousdreams.com\/blog\/?p=12673"},"modified":"2012-08-12T12:50:25","modified_gmt":"2012-08-12T21:20:25","slug":"interview-with-ryan-coleman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furiousdreams.com\/blog\/interview-with-ryan-coleman\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Ryan Coleman"},"content":{"rendered":"

I visited Ryan’s airy studio near Atlantic Station at the end of July. His spends all day painting, arriving around nine in the morning and leaving at five-ish. After spending over eight years as an assistant to Jeff Koons<\/a>, I’m not surprised at his discipline. Even more impressive, the day I made the appointment to visit was his birthday.<\/p>\n

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We chatted while I took photos of his studio and work, and he sent me his own photos to round out the interview. I coveted a few of his prized books – one on Cy Twombly and a present from his wife, Vitamin P2<\/a>, a book of new contemporary painting published by Phaidon.\u00c2\u00a0Coleman grew up with creative parents; his dad Steve Coleman worked for Disney in LA and his mother has worked in interior design.<\/p>\n

In his statement Coleman notes that a diverse set of elements informs his work; cartoons, historical references to art, graffiti \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and many\u00c2\u00a0of these are evident in the postcards and clippings tacked to a wall in the studio.<\/p>\n

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After eight years in Brooklyn, Coleman moved back with his wife to Atlanta in 2011 and has been showing at various galleries around the city. He shows at Pryor Fine Art<\/a> and was recently in a group exhibit at Poem88<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The following interview is compiled from questions written before the visit, my notes during our meeting and from Ryan’s thoughtful written responses.<\/p>\n

VW What led you to become a painter?<\/em><\/p>\n

RC \u00c2\u00a0I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve always been creative as long as I can remember, and it was encouraged from\u00c2\u00a0both sides of my family.\u00c2\u00a0My mom was an interior designer, and my dad a cartoonist\u00c2\u00a0(both are semi-retired).\u00c2\u00a0Though separated when I was young, I was exposed and\u00c2\u00a0greatly influenced by both of their creativity.\u00c2\u00a0My mom always encouraged being\u00c2\u00a0creative because she was so much herself, finding unique ways to decorate our home,\u00c2\u00a0and working on projects constantly.<\/p>\n

My dad inked a comic strip when I was young,\u00c2\u00a0and I would watch him work, and was fascinated by the sharp, crisp line he would\u00c2\u00a0make with a brush and ink.<\/p>\n

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He was also extremely passionate about animation and\u00c2\u00a0had tons of animation books lying around. So art was always there, but it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t\u00c2\u00a0really until high school where I knew I wanted to be a painter from then on out.<\/p>\n

VW \u00c2\u00a0Can you describe how NY or Atlanta has influenced your\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>work? Talk a little about working in Brooklyn and your time as an\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>assistant to Jeff Koons. Your work is so different in that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re an\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>actual painter and not doing conceptual work.<\/em><\/p>\n

RC \u00c2\u00a0I grew up in Jacksonville, Florida where I attended Douglas Anderson School of the\u00c2\u00a0Arts, a magnet school. In 1996 I was accepted into the Atlanta College of Art, and\u00c2\u00a0coming to Atlanta from Jacksonville was extremely exciting for me at the time. There\u00c2\u00a0was a great arts scene going on. Atlanta for me was really a jumping point, and an\u00c2\u00a0introduction to the greater art world. My junior year at ACA, I was accepted into a\u00c2\u00a0studio program called the New York Residency Program, and went to live in NYC for\u00c2\u00a0a semester in 1999.<\/p>\n

This changed and matured me in so many ways, and I knew\u00c2\u00a0immediately that I needed\/wanted to move to New York City. You hear it all the\u00c2\u00a0time, but there really is nowhere else in the world like it, especially for art. The\u00c2\u00a0museums, the galleries, the city itself, is massive and bursting with energy. It affects\u00c2\u00a0you big time. I came back to Atlanta, finished up my BFA, freelanced briefly doing\u00c2\u00a0animation for Cartoon Network and had my mind set on moving to New York.<\/p>\n

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Untitled (Surprised by Joy),\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>oil on paper, 22×30″, 2012<\/p>\n

The opportunity came shortly after my good friend, Todd Wahnish,\u00c2\u00a0asked if I wanted to move with him, and I excitedly took it (this was 2003). For the\u00c2\u00a0next 8 1\/2 years, I immersed myself in the city; going to shows, making art, and\u00c2\u00a0working full time as an assistant to Jeff Koons. This was one of those life changing\u00c2\u00a0experiences \u00e2\u20ac\u201c working with a wonderful and talented group of people, and\u00c2\u00a0being part of something so large and exciting. Seeing and experiencing how an artist\u00c2\u00a0on that scale operates was amazing. It entailed a lot of problem solving and working as a\u00c2\u00a0collective to execute Jeff\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s vision.<\/p>\n

You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re mostly focusing on the production of the\u00c2\u00a0material and paying extreme attention to detail, with 100 or so other people with\u00c2\u00a0similar interests. The drawback of working full-time anywhere is the amount of time\u00c2\u00a0you sacrifice on your own work, and between that and going out, it leaves a small\u00c2\u00a0window of time to produce your own work.<\/p>\n

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Untitled<\/em>, (detail) oil on paper, 22×30″, 2012<\/p>\n

In early 2011, my wife and I decided to\u00c2\u00a0move back to Atlanta to take a bit of a break from the city and focus on our own\u00c2\u00a0thing. Fortunately, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been able to devote most of my schedule to my own work,\u00c2\u00a0and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m excited to participate in the art scene here. That was a very long answer to a\u00c2\u00a0short question\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 Both have had positive influences on me and my art, in\u00c2\u00a0different ways.<\/p>\n

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\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>on the right\u00c2\u00a0–\u00c2\u00a0Untitled (Jungle)<\/em>, oil on canvas 40×48″, 2012.<\/p>\n

VW Describe your daily painting\/working routine and what inspires your\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>paintings? Do you make sketches or draw on a regular basis?<\/em><\/p>\n

RC \u00c2\u00a0To sum up the things that inspire me in painting are: art history, evoking a mood or\u00c2\u00a0emotion in the work, and elements of cartoons and graffiti art. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m equally fascinated\u00c2\u00a0with the illusion of depth and narrative you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll find in pre-Modernist painting, the\u00c2\u00a0immediacy and impact you find in Abstract Expressionism, and the color and pop of\u00c2\u00a0animation and street art. My overall mission as a painter has been to portray a little of\u00c2\u00a0each in my work. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m also inspired by the sublime and optimism. I do make sketches\u00c2\u00a0and draw on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

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Detail from Untitled<\/em>, oil on canvas 40×48″, 2012.<\/p>\n

VW \u00c2\u00a0I see a little Pat Steir<\/a> in some of the larger pieces and a sort of\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>Japanese calligraphy in the smaller works on paper. The dynamic and\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>motion in the work almost reminds me of cell animation, an abstraction\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>of movement. Can you talk about the context of your work and any\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>ideologies you may have as an artist?<\/em><\/p>\n

RC \u00c2\u00a0I think the context is trying to incorporate an acknowledgement of where painting has\u00c2\u00a0been, where it has come from, and where it is now. I tend to lean toward abstraction\u00c2\u00a0and obscuring the subject matter or imagery into something which contains a shroud\u00c2\u00a0of mystery. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m drawn to work that has a bit of this mystery in it, and one artist in\u00c2\u00a0particular who comes to mind in regard to this is J.M.W. Turner. I saw an exhibition\u00c2\u00a0of his a few years ago at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, and was deeply\u00c2\u00a0moved by his paintings. I was also struck by the size and commanding presence they\u00c2\u00a0emit, and that they teeter between abstraction and representation.<\/p>\n

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Untitled (Heaven & Earth)<\/em>, oil on canvas, 40×48″, 2012<\/p>\n

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VW\u00c2\u00a0Which artists have had the most influence on your work? And are there\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>current painters whose work excites you?<\/em><\/p>\n

RC \u00c2\u00a0Very much so\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll try and keep this short (the list is long):\u00c2\u00a0Leonardo da Vinci,\u00c2\u00a0Peter Paul Reubens,\u00c2\u00a0Corot,\u00c2\u00a0Monet,\u00c2\u00a0Picasso,\u00c2\u00a0John Singer Sargent,\u00c2\u00a0Cy Twombly, Robert\u00c2\u00a0Rauschenberg, Jean-Michel\u00c2\u00a0Basquiat,\u00c2\u00a0James Turrell,\u00c2\u00a0Vernon Grant,\u00c2\u00a0Cecily Brown,\u00c2\u00a0Inka Essenhigh,\u00c2\u00a0Takashi Murakami,\u00c2\u00a0Os Gemeos,\u00c2\u00a0Kristine Moran.<\/p>\n

VW \u00c2\u00a0Some artists suggest that the studio is too private for them, that they\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>require a social forum for their work. Does networking with other\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>artists and developing community have much bearing on your life as an\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>artist and if so, how does it inform your work and process?<\/em><\/p>\n

RC \u00c2\u00a0I enjoy both the privacy of working in my own studio, and networking and socializing\u00c2\u00a0with other artists. For me it goes hand in hand.<\/p>\n

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Phoenix<\/em>, oil on paper 22×30″, 2012.<\/p>\n

VW \u00c2\u00a0I’m always curious about how painters are utilizing social networking.\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>I know painters who have been successful marketing their work online,\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>even while they’re represented by a gallery. Have you explored some\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>of these or other alternative ways to either exhibit or sell your work<\/em>?<\/em><\/p>\n

RC \u00c2\u00a0Yes. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s amazing how these days you can share your work with someone half way\u00c2\u00a0around the world in real time. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve done commissions and sold work both\u00c2\u00a0domestically and internationally \u00e2\u20ac\u201c all through online communication. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a real thrill\u00c2\u00a0to get an e-mail from someone that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never met who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s interested or moved by\u00c2\u00a0your work.<\/p>\n

VW \u00c2\u00a0This next question may dovetail with the previous one; are you able to\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>make a living solely from your painting, or do you work a ‘day’ job?<\/em><\/p>\n

RC \u00c2\u00a0I have several avenues I utilize to make a living with my work, with some being more\u00c2\u00a0glamorous than others. I feel extremely fortunate though, to be able to work in my studio full-time. Of course, the best is when a work sells for what it is, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really an\u00c2\u00a0amazing feeling. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve done portraits, unique commissions\/installations, and am about\u00c2\u00a0to begin work on two very large graffiti-styled backdrops for a private event. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve also\u00c2\u00a0been developing an online shop for my more illustrative\/cartoony work, which I hope\u00c2\u00a0to launch soon.<\/p>\n

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VW \u00c2\u00a0Any immediate plans for exhibits and\/or the next series of work?<\/em><\/p>\n

RC \u00c2\u00a0I just participated in group shows at Poem88 & Pryor, and an event at Site95<\/a> in\u00c2\u00a0Brooklyn, NY. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m currently working on a new body of work which I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be posting on\u00c2\u00a0my website and blog soon. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m looking to expand showing opportunities locally and\u00c2\u00a0beyond!<\/p>\n

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You can view Ryan Coleman’s work online at his website<\/a>, follow him on Twitter<\/a> and Tumblr<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I visited Ryan’s airy studio near Atlantic Station at the end of July. His spends all day painting, arriving around nine in the morning and leaving at five-ish. After spending over eight years as an assistant to Jeff Koons, I’m … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,188],"tags":[1005,27,1583,1584,1582,1581,924,1586,1585,1580],"class_list":["post-12673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-meanderings","category-interviews","tag-abstract-expressionism","tag-art","tag-calligraphy","tag-cartoons","tag-graffiti","tag-jeff-koons","tag-painting","tag-renaissance","tag-representation","tag-ryan-coleman"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furiousdreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furiousdreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furiousdreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furiousdreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furiousdreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12673"}],"version-history":[{"count":47,"href":"https:\/\/www.furiousdreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12738,"href":"https:\/\/www.furiousdreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12673\/revisions\/12738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furiousdreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furiousdreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furiousdreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}