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Featured Artist: Brian Statom

Greetings All, my name is Brian Statom and I live in Shreveport, Louisiana.

I've always been interested in art, but majored in Technical Writing in college. So, it was some years before I got into painting. The wife and I were in a hardware store in the mid-90s. They were selling out of all their art supplies, as they were no longer going to carry them. They were practically giving their paints away, so I bought them out, went home, and built a studio. I am what you might call a "Sunday Painter". I work six days a week at my job and there is very little time left after that and family. And I am definitely a family man. They are my primary motivation and muse.

My styles vary from time to time, but I am essentially an abstract expressionist. Most of my paintings move from the abstract back into figuative subjects. I am also working on a a project with cell phone in a syle I call "Phontography". They are artistic photos taken with cell phone cameras. This is a continuation of Warhol's polaroid work. Within this project there are two main series: DK and Close of Business. DK is a collection of phontographs dealing with rust and other processes that break down metal, organics and society.
Close of Business deals with the economic situation and its effects on business. Many of these are images of closed establishments and business offices devoid of human life.

At present, I am happy doing local shows and working in my home studio. One day I would love to live in the country and build a larger studio. Possibly, sell on-line so I would not have to deal with galleries, but you know how difficult self-promotion can be.

I would love to hear from all levels of artists on my painting and photography. Not just on the business side, but on their creative thought processes. Are they easy to follow? Or does the abstract quality lose the viewer to the general ideas of the painting? Does the Title help understand or does it confuse the viewer?

I've been strolling casually down the art road for 15 years and I still find new areas to visit. Thank you for coming along for just this short spell. Your comments are greatly appreciated and critiques are always considered.

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Permalink Reply by Keith B McCulloch on July 6, 2009 at 8:48am

Hi Brian , first of all let me thank you for your kind comments re my work.I took a good look at everything you posted and really like the one you call "Low Fuel". It is a strong image...meaning it stands out even as a small image with clarity of form, richness and nuance of color, and balance of disparate shapes. The clockwise movement orchestrates my eyes all around the canvass to enjoy all the subtleties. GOOD WORK! Your strength in most of these pieces shows an intuitive grasp of good composition. If I were your teacher I would encourage you to further your study of the elements of design, such as line, shape, texture, color, etc. In all of this show strength but allow the viewer to see your subtleties like you have in "Low fuel". Keith

Permalink Reply by Slone Fries on July 6, 2009 at 10:49am

I have seen so many paintings, having a piece of art named I would never think hurts. Sometimes it gives me a new perspective of things and I enjoy it more, never less. Okay after looking at your art I like #1 but it doesn't make me want to buy it, #2 I am really bad with abstract and can't see anything, now #3 I absolutley love! How do you make this again? I want full details!!! Also, how do you decide what to charge for your art?
Fantastic Feature!
Sloane

Permalink Reply by Cyndy Carstens on July 6, 2009 at 1:10pm

Hey Brian,
It's just me. I have always found your words and work fascinating - but you already know that. In my on work I flux between implied realism with a touch of abstraction. I find sometimes the titles for pieces help the patron get started thinking in the realm in which the piece was created, but on the other hand, I often wonder if titles lead too much. Interesting question you have posed.
Great to see you here. I hope to try to stay in touch more often. Take care. Cyndy

Permalink Reply by Coleen Ryan-Rivera on July 6, 2009 at 6:00pm

Brain,
Love the piece entitled downsized. Is that one of your rust photos. Like the color ,the movement.Good work.
Coleen

Permalink Reply by Brian Statom on July 6, 2009 at 11:45pm

Thank you so very much for your responces.

Keith, I appreciate your advice and will take it to heart. Design sounds like a good next step. I will look into it. Any suggestions on what I might read.

Sloane, my third work is an abstract in photo. Many, if not all of my photos are based on abstract shape and pattern. This piece is a photo, untouched and unaltered.

Cyndy, sometimes the painting and titling processes are the same, but sometimes the title is its own entity. It is almost the second chapter...a continuation of the work.

Coleen, Sorry, "downsized" is just the file name. It is of the DK series, DK 1-C, I think. Yes, it is a close up of rust. I don't know what draws me to it. I will do another photo in the "Close of Business" series and entitle it Downsized for you. The title would seem to fit. Haha.

Thanks all.

Permalink Reply by Coleen Ryan-Rivera on July 7, 2009 at 1:19pm

i can be such a dummy some times !!!

Permalink Reply by Brian Statom on July 7, 2009 at 11:22pm

Haha. No, really, I think that Downsized is a wonderful idea. My "Close of Business" series deals with the struggles of the American business and workers. Empty parking lots and locked doors. Its one of the few things I take seriously. Sometimes our greatest finds are though mistakes made.

Permalink Reply by Coleen Ryan-Rivera on July 8, 2009 at 4:02pm

Don't you just love those so called " mistakes"!

Permalink Reply by Verwest on July 7, 2009 at 5:08am

As you mentioned to me we know each other for a while now. Yet I didn't knew the story about you beginning to paint. It was also per chance that I restarted painting in 2004 after my youngest sun bought me a painting set made in China.
I like your abstractions an I can feel that your hart is in there. Keep up the good work and continue to explore your "Phontography", which I think is a great word you invented.
Greets
Serge

Permalink Reply by TLBijeaux on July 8, 2009 at 10:33pm

Brian you work varies on subject and styles. I really like how you take the ordinary subjects and put yourself into them. Ive been watching your work for some time now and you always produce someting interesting to look at. Keep working and sharing you talent brother!

Permalink Reply by Jordan Mummer on July 8, 2009 at 11:12pm

Hi Brian,

I think art and (or) some artists (in this case...you) have an innate ability to connect with people who are receptive to it. I hope this would be taken as a high compliment of quality. I believe that a lot of people's judgement can be clouded by their own excpectations(

Permalink Reply by Jordan Mummer on July 8, 2009 at 11:26pm

Correction: I mean to be taken as a compliment that is truely earnest - I don't really know what " high compliment of quality" is saying