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Spraygraphic Interview with Derek Buckner
By Spraygraphic | November 7, 2007
Spraygraphic Interview with Derek Buckner
SG: Please tell us about yourself?
DB: Well. I am 37 years old, I am married to a writer, Joanna Hershon, and we have two amazing little boys– Wyatt and Noah. I am a musician as well as being a painter and never have enough time to do everything I want to do.
SG: Where do you currently live and work?
DB: I live in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn and my studio is in Red Hook, which is in walking distance from my home.
SG: What mediums do you work with?
DB: Mostly I work in oil, though recently I’ve been working in gouache, which I’ve really enjoyed. I had been using acrylic for works on paper but I prefer the opacity and texture of gouache.
SG: Describe your working process when creating a new work.
DB: I’m usually working on many different pieces at any given time and I like to start a painting and then step away from it for a few days to work on something else and then approach again from a fresh perspective a few days later. I use different source material, and– depending on whether it is a video image or a photograph or a scale model that I have built in my studio– the initial stages of a painting can be very different depending on the particular piece. If I am working from video imagery or a photograph I spend quite a long time manipulating the image on my computer first. I don’t work directly from one particular photo or video still but will print out 10 or 12 different images to use as source material and then once I have been working on a painting for a few days I will often stop referring to the source material and allow myself to alter the image based on my imagination.
SG: What kind of things do you do when you get blocked or find it hard to create something?
DB:What I like about painting as an art form is that it is a craft. If I find myself blocked or uninspired I will often prime canvases or build shelves for my studio. It’s often when I am performing some mundane task in the studio that I’m able to let my mind wander and then the ideas begin to flow.
SG: Where are you currently finding your inspiration?
DB: I’ve been searching the Web for images of UFO sightings. I’m always amazed at the tireless supply of blurry images of UFOs that people post on “UFO” and conspiracy theory websites. The photos are so poor in quality that they’re not only totally absurd, but they actually have a natural abstraction to them. They can be truly haunting.
SG: You have shown many times with the George Billis Gallery. How did that relationship develop?
DB:I met George back in 2003 through a mutual friend. He had been familiar with my work from a few group shows in which I’d participated. He came for a studio visit and was excited by the work; he decided to put me in a group show that year and a one person show the following year.
SG: Can you tell us a little about your Freeways and Airlines series?
DB? This body of work began when I had been painting a series of cityscapes from the 23rd floor of a building in Chelsea that looks down on the West Side Highway. I became more and more interested in painting the highway itself. Around that time I started taking videos and photos while looking out the windows of airplanes. The airplane is a powerful representation of fear, in that although being a passenger on an airplane is actually relatively safe, because we have absolutely no control over our journey, it can be– for many of us—completely terrifying. It’s this fantasy aspect that I wanted to explore. By introducing airplanes into the paintings I wanted to create an intentionally ambiguous scenario– playing with these edges between safety/danger, fantasy/reality.
SG: How long do you go with one subject before you feel it is ready for a showing?
DB: It’s hard to say. Most of my subjects overlap in some way. I don’t have a particular moment in which I say to myself “now I am ready to show this body of work” I often bring work home and get feedback from my wife. She really helps me get perspective on my work.
SG: Where has your work been seen?
DB: I’ve exhibited in many different venues. Mostly in Manhattan although I’ve also shown in Chicago, Los Angeles, Italy, Mexico, and East Hampton.
SG: Where will it be seen next?
SG: I’ll be participating in a group show called “Gouache and Only Gouache” which will be in both the Jeff Bailey Gallery on West 25th Street and the Andrea Meislin gallery on W. 26th Street in Feb 2008. This exhibition will be curated by Geoffrey Young.
SG: What is your dream art assignment?
DB: That’s a tough one. Since I don’t work on commissions it’s hard to say. I would love to be able to fill a large space with a group of huge UFO paintings.
SG: What is your favorite color?
DB: Blue, no Red, NO, I meant Green.
SG: Who is your favorite artist? And Why?
DB: I don’t really have on particular favorite artist but these days I am into Jenny Saville. Her paintings are technically masterful without being academic or stiff.
SG: What book/magazine are you reading this week?
DB: I’m reading a book right now called “Word Origins” it’s a rather dry book about etymology but for some reason I tend to gravitate toward that kind of subject.
SG: Ever do a self-portrait? Where is it now?
DB: I have done many self-portraits and most of them are in my studio though I have sold a few. Every now and then I will paint myself as different characters. I have one painting of myself as a football star and another as an astronaut.
SG: Where is your favorite place to hang out?
DB: I love hanging out with my kids and my wife on our stoop. Also, there is a great bar in Carroll Gardens called Brooklyn Social.
SG: Any final words of advice?
DB: Paint regularly, even if you can only work for an hour one day a week. It’s important to keep momentum.
Art: 1) UFO Sighting #6, 2) Ufo Sighting #3, 3) Freeway #6, 4) The Watcher #5
Topics: Artist Interviews, New York Art Scene, Paintings |
