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"Your Love Is Paper Thin" 2010 |
Glenn Arthur, a self-taught artist from Orange County, California, lovingly creates sexy, beautiful female figures. His artwork is both rich in color and emotion ; playfully intermingling decorative elements, symbolism and aspects of nature, death and love.
What struck me the most about Arthur's work are the feelings that he conveys via acrylic paint. His women are like beautiful,sad flowers bearing their souls on wood panels. Arthur took time out of his busy schedule to talk with ArtSeen about his artwork.
Can you tell us a little about your artwork and your artistic process?
My artwork is traditionally made with good old fashioned brushes and paint. I generally use acrylic paints on wood panels but have been known to dabble in watercolor and ink, however I always start with pencil and my trusty sketchbook. I'm not one of those artists that can attack a surface with paint and make magic happen. Everything I do is meticulously planned out as a sketch before it hits the wood panel. Then I fill it all in with paint like a giant coloring book.
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"A Mask To Conceal With Bandages To Heal" 2009 |
I understand you are a self taught artist. Can you tell us a little bit about your learning process?
My learning process has been a lot of trial and error. It mainly consists of me wanting to experiment with a certain media, go out and get it and then hit the ground running. I make a lot of mistakes but I try to make sure I learn something valuable from each one. Truth be told, sometimes mistakes made in art can lead to something wonderful and unexpected!
What inspires you as an artist? Why do you create art?
I'm very driven by emotional imagery. Anything that tugs at the heart strings or stirs up feelings inspires me to no end. As cliche as it sounds, my work is really a way for me to express myself. It helps me let go in a way nothing else can.
What types of themes, ideas, or concepts do you explore within in your artwork?
I almost always center my work around emotion. Some type of feeling that I want to convey with a certain image. I usually work it into themes of love, heartbreak, death, conflict, duality, loneliness, etc. It sounds kind of dark, but I think people try too hard to ignore those types of things when all of it is important. You can't have good without the bad. It's all about balance.
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"Some Call It An Obsession" 2010 |
Are there any artists that inspire you? If so who would they be and why?
What do you want viewers to
take away with them after viewing your artwork?
I hope that people will be a bit more open to the emotional side of things. I really want to let viewers know that it's ok to cry sometimes. Understanding and expressing your feelings is a strength, not a weakness.
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"Her Forbidding Berries" 2010 |
What’s the best and worst part about being an artist?
The best part is being able to take your imagination and breathe life into it! The ability to create something that never existed before you thought of it is amazing! The worst part is not being able to keep up with my brain sometimes. There's always new images popping up in my mind and it's hard to get them all down on paper before they get lost forever.
Where would you like to be in 10 years?
In 10 years I'd like to be sitting in front of a blank piece of wood getting ready to turn it into a painting. I really just want to make art for the rest of my life. I don't care how or where.
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| "In Love With Lament" 2010 |
And finally, what advice would you give to emerging artists?
Be prolific! Always make art every day. Never give up and never change or get rid of your old work. Even if you sell it, hold on to images of it. It's your history and it's all part of your growth as an artist and a person.
For more information about Arthur and his artwork visit his blog and Facebook fan page for more details.
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