This is John Grunwell's wall from ArtOMatic 2008. I first met John in 2002 at my and his first ArtOMatic and fell in love with his work, which was more pointilist at that point, much like the detail, here, of A Glow I Behold Within a Hedge. I don't have to even seek him out now. I know that as I do my preliminary run through of ArtOMatic I will easily recognize his work.
The first artist interviews I will present to you are folks I found on my first go through with the following criteria: does it grab me (make me stop); does it hold me (make me look); would I love to live with it?
Here's John in his own words:
How many ArtOMatics have you done, and if more than 1, what keeps you coming back?
This is my fifth Artomatic, and I've participated in every one since 2002. That was my favorite in terms of the dimensions of my aloted wall space. I've not found gallery representation as of yet, and I distinctly dislike entering so-called "juried shows" wherein one pays anywhere from $25.00 – $40.00 to be considered, so except for a few shows here and there, Artomatic tends to be the only place where I can have my work seen by a wide array of art lovers. Each Artomatic is also a milestone of sorts, in that I hope that each iteration will evidence growth and change since the previous one. I'd like to think that my technical skills and artistic vision have improved in the seven years I've been involved.
Where can one find you this year?
My main wall full of paintings and one drawing is at 3-13, and my mural (my first piece of public or site-specific art) is on the outer wall of the ARC office on the 4th floor.
How did you choose what to show at ArtOMatic?
I work slowly/lazily, and only in my off hours (i.e. I have a day job!), so I merely choose the best of the works I've made in the period since the last Artomatic. Since the fall of last year I've been working in two painting styles, and I wanted to display strong examples of both. [this is John's wall this year]
How long have you been making art? What do you do when/if you hit a slump?
Art. What is art? Is it poetry if I mindfully string a bunch of words together? Is it art if I'm a kid in high school copying images from TimeLife's "Mysteries of the Unknown" book series? If yes, then I've been making art as long as I could hold a crayon. The earliest drawings I recall involved Godzilla and another monster, with the Empire State Building between them, the monsters fighting over who'd get to knock it down, with the dedication "John Loves Mom. Wow." I remember being tickled that "wow" and "mom" were mirrored images. I fancied myself an artist in high school, and I had fairly good technique, but art-making dropped off in early college, except for doodles in my notes and the decoration of envelopes in which I sent actual letters, back in the era before email became the standard method of communication. I didn't start producing art again until I was in graduate school, in the late summer of 2000. I still have my first piece, which was a revelation for me. I don't know that I've hit any actual slumps since then. There have been months-long periods during which I didn't produce any art, but in actuality, there were things brewing in my unconscious mind, and I just had to let them float to the surface. I'm pretty sure that's where all my best stuff comes from.
Who are your favorite artists and what inspiration do you draw from them?
Arabic calligraphy and Islamic architecture, Keith Haring, Alex Grey, Allyson Grey, Yayoi Kusama, Fred Tomaselli, James Marshall, Pablo Amaringo, Frank Stella, Chuck Close, Gerhard Richter and a whole host of artists whose names I don't know who belong to indigenous groups such as the Huichol and various tribes in non-coastal Australia. It's hard to pin down the exact influence each artist has had on me, but each has had a definite influence, except for Close, Stella and Richter, whom I just love, but don't feel have any close connection to my work.
Here is John's mural which can be found on the 4th floor at ArtOMatic
Have you had a chance to look around ArtOMatic yet this year? Do you have any instant favorites? any returning favorites?
None that I can name. I like my work. I think it's usually in the top five or ten in Artomatic in terms of quality and innovation. I am my own Artomatic favorite. I think that any artist with confidence in their work should feel likewise.
Where else can we see your work?
On my website,mahajohn.com, in various folks homes in the
USA
and across the globe, and recently, in "DC Modern Luxury."
Anything else you'd like to add about yourself, your work, art in general?
Nope!
thought for the day: You have exactly two seconds to make an impression, according to business author Malcolm Gladwell's groundbreaking book Blink. And you only get one shot at it. People might give you a second chance, but you'll have to work a lot harder the next time to overcome the judgment already formed about you. Two seconds. What will you do with it? Alyson B. Stanfield, I' rather be in the studio: The Artist's No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion
2nd thought: Because they appear similar at all levels of magnification, fractals are often considered to be infinitely complex (in informal terms)…Wikipedia
