I recently interviewed Justin Richel of Rangeley, Maine about his new large-scale work (including group show Wall Works) for New American Paintings. Some things I learned about the artist: the biggest misconception about his work is that it’s all light-hearted and whimsical, and despite the nature of his work he prefers vegetables to sweets. (As a self-professed sugar addict I find this last fact mighty impressive.)
First of all, it’s really exciting to see your work translated from paper to a large-scale installation in both the exhibit at the DeCordova and the CMCA Biennial. Do you see yourself doing more installations?
The shift in scale has opened up my practice to a whole new way of working. I’m really excited about the installation work right now. Doing the installation is a totally different experience than working in the studio. Working on site puts me in a position to make decisions quickly, rather than deliberating for hours over composition and formal choices, it’s really freeing. I just completed another install at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art here in Maine for an exhibition titled The Question of Drawing. It’s another incarnation of the “Whirling Dervish” with a few more parts and pieces. I’m really happy with the end result.
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Your wall is in the museum’s cafe. Was it a different process of conceiving art for a place where visitors are thinking primarily about food not art?
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Well, because of my subject matter, it really wasn’t a stretch for me to create art for the café space. It’s also hard to imagine anyone not thinking about art at the Decordova Museum, even in the café. The museum is quite special, it’s located on 35 acres of sprawling sculpture park nestled in a beautiful old growth forest. The museum itself has an interesting, and at times challenging, architecture. Fortunately the curatorial staff fearlessly makes use of every available space, inside and out, making for an entirely inspiring experience everywhere you look.
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You sell prints on Etsy and through The Working Proof. How do you see this kind of business in the grand scheme of your art? If you were making $50K a painting, would you still sell prints?
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This is an interesting question. At this stage in my career as an emerging artist, I think that it is important for me to reach as many people as I can. Selling prints is a way for me to make the work available to anyone who enjoys it. Art is for everyone, and I don’t think it should be exclusive. I think often folks get turned off by art because they think it’s only for the wealthy; not everyone can afford to collect art, however collecting prints can be just as rewarding. Any artist who is making $50K per painting is in a different stage in their career, which comes with a whole different set of guidelines. They are creating work that someone is paying a very high premium for. An artist who has reached this type of status also has a gallery who handles every aspect of sales, etc. You don’t typically find big name artists selling prints for $15-$30.
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What’s the biggest misconception about you or your work?
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My work tends to be at first glance very light and whimsical, I think that a lot of people don’t see the underlying commentary or darker undertones. However I like this about the work. I want the viewer to be pulled in and delighted by the detail and color, and if they should want to look further into the work, my hope is that they see the message that is within. However I don’t think the success of the image depends entirely on my thoughts being conveyed to the viewer. Ultimately I’m satisfied if the viewer enjoys the work.
My work tends to be at first glance very light and whimsical, I think that a lot of people don’t see the underlying commentary or darker undertones. However I like this about the work. I want the viewer to be pulled in and delighted by the detail and color, and if they should want to look further into the work, my hope is that they see the message that is within. However I don’t think the success of the image depends entirely on my thoughts being conveyed to the viewer. Ultimately I’m satisfied if the viewer enjoys the work.
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Read the rest of the interview on New American Paintings.
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5 responses so far ↓
1 Rikkianne // Aug 3, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Fantastic interview. Such a nice read especially when the end result is him stating that… “Ultimately I’m satisfied if the viewer enjoys the work.” So cool. Thank you for sharing!
2 Kate // Aug 3, 2011 at 7:19 pm
thanks! so glad you enjoyed it. i’ve been checking out your work. i like it. a lot. : )
3 Rikkianne // Aug 4, 2011 at 9:55 am
Thank you so much! You made my morning 🙂 I thoroughly enjoy your site. I have also learned so much from your inspiration boards on Pinterest. Thank you for all that you share and thanks again for this comment! I appreciate it.
4 hena tayeb // Aug 12, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Wow.. this is fantastic.. a great read.
5 Bitblogger: Kate Singleton « bitbloggers // Jan 9, 2012 at 4:30 pm
[…] guest” on sfgirlbybay. 2. 8 Artists You Should Know – a guest post on Etsy. 3. Interview with Justin Richel – my most recent artist interview. Share this:TwitterFacebookLike […]
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