Artist Interview with Marty Dwyer

APM Blog: Tell us about the artwork you submitted to our international juried art competition. Is this part of a larger series? What are some of the ideas behind that work.

 

Yes the paintings I submitted are part of a larger series of work called, “A Glimpse Between the Noise”. This series is my first abstract series and I wanted to push my myself as an artist to explore the unknown. The series coincides with a lot of material I am reading about conscious living, the present moment and living in the now. Painting, and art for that matter, is one of the truest ways to experience the present moment. Time evaporates when I’m in the creative mode and the experience and process in these moments is what painting and art is all about for me.

 

APM Blog: Tell us about the process and materials of your work.

From my years of painting I have come to a place where I feel less is more. I try to think less and paint from a place where it is more intuition and feeling. I like to work quickly and I tend to work mostly with palette knives in oils or acrylics. But like any artist that can change in an instant. I often go meandering in a dollar store looking for new tools or utensils to try out.

 

For the painting The Peaceful Warrior, I used palette knives, masonary tools, long skinny bottle scrub brushes (like pipe cleaners) and brushes. I worked the paint at different stages with the different tools until I felt it was cohesive.

 

For the Two Lovers painting I haphazardly sketched on shapes with carcoal and blocked them in with more of a lighter or pastel color scheme. At first I used brushes and then worked it more using palette knives. I always tend to come back to palette knives, I like the control I can get and the different textures I can create.

 

I created a time lapse video of this series of paintings located here: http://youtu.be/YF3ehboMPBE

 

APM Blog: Tell us about your background (this can include schools, history, unrelated jobs that led you to the arts, etc).

I’m actually an electrical engineer by day, but I have always drawn or painted since early school days for as long as I can remember. Art was always something that never left me and when I worked and traveled in Southeast Asia from 2003 to 2005 I had a lot of time and opportunity to develop my skills. Pretty much until I moved to Vancouver in 2005 I was self-taught. In 2007 I completed a Fine Arts Certificate at the University of Emily Carr. I continue everyday to learn and explore new areas of painting and art. Life is beautiful, it has so much to offer and I try to take it all in as much as I can. Usually when I not painting, I’m composing, painting or working on a peice in my head or thinking about the next step for peice in progress.

 

APM Blog: Are there other artists, ideas, or fields of interest (such as science, literature or music) that influence your work? Can you describe how they influence you?

 

Probably the one of the biggest influences for me is music. I love painting to music as well as discovering new musicians. It moves my soul and it comes out in my paintings. Another influence for me in nature and just my everyday surroundings. Usually a theme, or scene, or idea will come to mind and I’ll explore it mentally and then start to produce it. Except for this abstract series, this was the first time I never had a plan when I started a painting. I would usually only have a color scheme or tool in mind to use and the rest would be spontaneous. This led to a lot of unexpected surprises.

 

APM Blog: Who are some of the artists that influence your work?

Some of my big infuences from past to present are:

Van Gogh, Monet, Lucian Freud, Picasso, Emily Carr, Gerald Squires, Grant Boland, Jean Claude Roy, David Blackwood, Toni Only, Corie Creed, Jonas Gerard; the list can go on. As well as the many artists who graciously share their work on youtube.

 

APM Blog: Is there somewhere we can see your work, such as an artist website or an upcoming art show?

Yes you can, my website is: http://www.martydwyer-artwork.com/. As well they are often displayed in coffee shops, restaurants, etc…around Vancouver.

 

Name: Marty Dwyer
City and State: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Email: mdwyer39@   yahoo.ca
Website(s): http://www.martydwyer-artwork.com/