By Jonathan Burger, Craven Arts Council & Gallery, Inc.
Where are you from and how’d you end up in eastern North Carolina?
I was born and grew up here in New Bern. I moved for college and post-college jobs but ended up back here working from home for a company in Raleigh.
Do you have any formal training as an artist, or are you self-taught, or a combination?
I had wonderful art teachers throughout public school in New Bern. I then attended ECU and have a degree in art education with a concentration in painting and drawing.
You work in a variety of mediums, do you have a favorite, or what appeals to you about different ones?
Oil painting is my favorite. With oil paint you have a lot of time to blend and mix your colors. I use a water-based oil paint, but it still takes a long time to dry. I do miss working with ceramics and painting directly on work. Ceramics requires a lot of machinery and money to keep up. Painting is a little more economical for me.
Does your work have one central theme, or several themes?
I love to tell people I am all over the place with my themes and concepts. I’ll paint current events that make me upset, then I’ll paint a nature landscape, and I’ll even paint something silly and irrelevant.
There’s an Art Nouveau influence to several of you works, what appeals you about that art movement?
I’m not very concerned with making my work look realistic and to me art nouveau was one of those movements that rejected a rigid sense of what art is supposed to be. It experiments with organic, whipping lines and decorative elements you wouldn’t expect. It also incorporates natural forms like flowers and plants. As it became part of marketing and design in the early 20th century, it combined the “fine” art and the “practical” art. I admire the movement for taking risks and pushing the narrative of what art is.
Is there another artist whose work you admire or who inspires you?
Some of my favorite artists from history are Sandro Botticelli, Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec, Kathe Kollwitz and Georgia O’Keeffe. A current artist I really admire is Kehinde Wiley.
Do you have any advice for artists just starting out or wanting to get into art?
Don’t wait for permission or to be “good enough.” Art is for you, and you are not in competition with anyone. The only thing you are trying to do is better yourself or just bring joy to yourself.
What artwork, award, or exhibition are you particularly proud of, and why?
For my senior show in 2018, I created 9 huge paintings all within the same concept and displayed them in ECU’s art gallery with many of my friend’s artwork. It was a great accomplishment and a wonderful experience.
In one sentence, what is art to you?
I like the quote from Cesar A. Cruz: “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”
I know you’ll be in the On Beauty: The Prophet exhibition at Bank of the Arts, but where else can people find your work (galleries, social media, website, etc.)
The best way to keep up with me is follow me on Instagram: @sydney_artpage