David Carlson
Arlington, VA
Website
www.davidcarlsonart.com
Social Media
Instagram
What inspires you?
I am naturally curious and am willing to take an intellectual or experiential dive into anything that captures my attention. Paleolithic art, the cave paintings, haunt me. Anthropologists and scientists all give their theories, angles and reason, but for me as an artist and I believe many artists, there is a direct correlation with what I am doing and trying to express. It all comes down to experience and seeking some kind of understanding. What the original artists accomplished through the invention of making images created a new use of the brain through perception, memory and response. On a deeper level I think artists are still asking relevant questions through creativity. For me, the natural world and everything it holds embraces the sublime and since we come out of it, the earth, it is our first mother. When I spend time in the wild (nature) I take in information through all my senses; sight, touch, smell, etc. mind / body. I feel art comes from the body. Ever since I was a boy, time spent in creeks, fields, trees, lakes, caves and more. I have built a connection and warehouse of encounters that have informed my relationship with the natural world. I am also a serious gardener working with plants, dirt, rock and wood! Time is another aspect that has affected me my entire life. I’ve traveled throughout the world and experienced the patina of experience and circumstance in ancient culture, through the structures, complexes and ruins.
Can you speak about your process?
I work a lot. I don’t need to have an upcoming show to create new work since I’m usually working 5-6 times a week in the studio (I say times because that varies from 1-8 hours). I think visually—that’s how I process information and the energy that comes from it. I always start a group of paintings or a body of work by gathering data / 60 to 80 works on paper that give me a chance to investigate the figure, space and material in different ways. I begin with calligraphic gestures, geometric, line and free choice in that order. The space is more open on the works on paper. Once I begin the paintings, I start with 20 – 25 works on canvas I follow the same scheme but go into it a lot heavier. It is a matter of building the surface with layers so in the end it is hard to tell the beginning from the end.
When I work with digital video, another media I use to explore, becomes a direct way to deal with visual information. I’ll gather a lot of images both photographically and video takes to capture the qualities of water. then go back and start to edit. That’s a whole different story.
How did you become interested in art?
My Grandmother was an accomplished artist and we would talk about things art whenever we got together. She used to tell me it is important to go to the studio everyday, even if for only 30 minutes, but most importantly to be myself in my work. I’ve always been creative, and liked to draw. Initially, I had strong eye-hand coordination, looking at something I could capture a fairly good representation.
Along with that ability I had a wicked sense of humor that let me see things differently and that worked out creatively. Fortunately, I have very good teachers starting with my art teacher, Carl Weiss, at Glasgow High School in Kentucky always encouraged me, and really got me to think. He told me, “You should be an artist.” No one had ever said that to me. Luckily my parents gave me the freedom to do what I wanted. I couldn’t think of anything else I wanted to do besides art so when it came to attend college, I went to Murray State University which had a very strong Fine Arts program. It was another pivotal time with many strong teachers including Bill Lew, Luke Oas and Melody Weiler. That time at MSU opened doors and lead to an apprenticeship with Gregory Gillespie who had a studio in East Hampton and Belchertown, Massachusetts. I studied with Gregory for a couple of years learning and experiencing how he approached painting. I continued doing my own work and later decided to enter the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where I got an MFA in painting. I was fortunate to have really strong teachers, Leonel Gongora, John Roy, Paul Berube and Hanlyn Davies who turned me onto so many things I still think about today.
Do you have any favorite artists, movies, books, or quotes?
The number of visual artists is too many to list but like I said earlier it all starts with the Paleolithic art and the cave painters. Where I’m strongly influenced outside of the visual arts; Brian Eno, J. P. Joffrey, Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto, Humayun Khan, musicians, Ashraf Fouad, and Nikola Paskalov, composer/musicians, Ethelbert Miller, Carol Bean and Bennie Herron, poets; the Coen Brothers, David Lynch, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa filmmakers; dancers/choreographers Matts Ek and Lucy Bowen McCauley. For quotes; anything Lao Tse, Chuang Tse, and Joseph Campbell, David Hinton’s book Wild Earth / Wild Mind. The list goes on! And great chefs. (laughs)
What advice do you have for younger artists?
In my early 20s I became very interested in the dialogues between Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell. They talked about myth, consciousness and the layers of being human. Campbell coined the phrase ‘Follow your bliss’ which I have been doing ever since. It is imperative to listen to your insides, not all the bullshit but the real essence of who you are. That is my bedrock. A good idea to google Campbell to watch an interview to hear the whole rationale behind the statement. It is also extremely important to be connected with artists and people interested in art. Go to the studio everyday even if it is for 30 minutes to connect with the work, you never know when you might find something to trigger new thinking. Be generous.
