Featured Artist Interview: Michael Bolton, Part 1

by AU(STL) Director, Brad Edwards

In preparation for our upcoming exhibition, the 2010 Winter Quarterly: Positive Obsession, I got the chance to interview local abstract painter, Michael Bolton.  Mike will be painting live at the Quarterly, and his unique paintings will be available for purchase at the end of the evening.  His style is constantly evolving and his light-hearted outlook on life transcends into his bright and vibrant paintings.  He is also a husband, a father, and a full-time teacher, though it is clear that his passion for art informs, and is informed by, his other roles. (Click on thumbnails for larger images)

Mike, how would you describe your work?

Informal geometric abstract paintings with large color fields.

What about your medium and style excites you?

I really enjoy the fact that 90% of my work is not planned before time.  I also really love the bright color fields that seemingly take over a room.  I want the color to bring a smile to the viewers face when they look at each piece.

Are there any particular life experiences that you see as being formational to how you approach your work (i.e. community, culture, upbringing, faith, etc.)?

Being a fourth grade teacher, my daily life is very detailed and hectic at times, so my work is much more relaxed and free flowing.  Also, I did have a chaotic upbringing at times and drawing was always a release for me.  I still see it that way.  Being raised by a “good ole boy” southern father and a trapped mother often led to a “spanking” for wrong-doings.  I do recall two summer long groundings that came after a couple of severe spankings for some poor decisions that I made.  I discovered painting to be a creative outlet for that.  As far are my current daily life, I tend to paint if I have a challenging day from my students.  It just gives me a chance to take a step back, catch my breath and be creative.  It’s calming.

What drives or motivates you? What has been a recent source of inspiration?

The enjoyment that I get out of painting is what drives me.  When I first started painting seriously about 4 years ago I was only doing it for myself.  Before my wife and I moved to St. Louis we lived out West and didn’t have a child, so I had a lot more of both space and time in which to work.  One, my wife came down to my make-shift studio and I had about 60-70 paintings leaning against the wall and this prompted her to ask what I had planned on doing with all of the paintings. At the time I really didn’t have a plan, or realize that I had that much work just resting against the wall.  This exchange is what prompted me to put together a portfolio.

I love that… would it be fair to say that selling your work was barely even an afterthought?  It sounds like the creative process is a pretty “pure” motivation for you.  To apply a music term, you haven’t “sold out” in your success.

Selling my work actually came as a surprise.  I remember the first piece that I sold.  I sold a painting that was broken into four 2×2 ft. pieces for around $350.  I was so excited at the time.  I never thought that that same size now would go for about four times that much.  I just paint what I want and when I have shows I wait for the right customer to come along that really enjoys it as much as I do.  It is all about finding the right place and/or client for your work.  As far as “sold out” goes I have never been faced yet with a decision that would lead to that.  Since I have a full-time job I have never relied on my art moneys to pay my bills.  I would probably do things very differently if it were my only source of income.

Depending on the medium, the social or relational facets of art are often overlooked.  How have relationships or community shaped your perspective as an artist?

I think the relationships that have most influenced my art would be my clients themselves.  I do a lot of commission-based work and I have some clients that have several pieces of mine.  I’ve have formed special relationships with each of them.  The vast majority of my clients have also become good friends.  I’ve lost track of how many commissions I’ve done through referrals from neighbors and co-workers of previous clients.  They buy in and begin to network for you.  This is a type of relationship that many people unfamiliar with the “art scene” overlook.

I imagine that if you are not a fairly regular patron of the arts, it’s easy to neglect that.  People are not just buying a work of art, but tangibly investing in a vision and a relationship.  Pretty satisfying, isn’t it?

If you think about someone loving something that you created enough to spend hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars on it… yeah… that is pretty amazing.  Yet it’s also a difficult tension to live in because… and this is just a pet peeve of my own… some overlook the fact that we, as artists, are also businessmen and women.  I think some people tend to brush it off as a hobby or something a bit less important.

Part 2 of this interview is soon to follow so stay tuned!