Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Prough.
Hi Justin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m an artist, designer, builder, surfer, and 5th generation Californian, who grew up a skate/surf rat between my grandmother’s home in Corona Del Mar, where she taught me to bodysurf before I could complete sentences; and my parents’ home in Santa Cruz, where surfing and skateboarding are a way of life, and the visuals of Santa Cruz skateboards is endemic.
I graduated with a BA in Studio Arts from the land-locked University of Redlands, where for four years my hunger for the beach was replaced by an obsession with arts, design, and technology. Returning to the coast, I landed in Los Angeles, where my artistry, leadership and diverse blend of technological knowhow and creativity made me a formidable creative talent within the LA advertising community. I balanced an award-winning advertising and fine art career until 2018 when success coupled with a heart-wrenching conversation with my daughter convinced me to pursue fine art full-time. More about that here. (link to https://shoutoutla.com/meet-justin-prough-ex-adman-turned-environmental-political-artist/)
Los Angeles is my home, workplace, and playground. When not creating at my West LA studio, I’m usually bumping around town with my loving wife and two adorable kids or surfing and scavenging for materials along Surfrider Beach, County Line or El Porto.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Seldom is the journey of life and career straightforward, and I’m sure several of the potholes I’ve hit along the way aren’t all that unique. Except one, having to totally abandon a winning creative process.
My coming of age and career has paralleled a time of great technological and social shifts in communication arts. Early on, my creative work was much more commercial and digital in nature and a disciplined creative process was key to great design and advertising work. Yet following my new path, the stories I wanted to tell are more sculptural in nature and needed to utilize found materials to reinforce their intended message. It had been a minute since I worked with scavenged materials and the limitations and possibilities totally blew up my disciplined creative process.
What I’ve come to embrace from working with found objects is that you need to develop a conceptual plan, then find the material. While at the same time, you need to let the material you find plan the concept. Makes sense but Boom! This led to a creative process that is anything but linear and requires me to approach each piece from multiple angles throughout its creation.
Embracing creative fluidity, coupled with a keen eye for fit and finish, has become the cornerstone of my art practice. Planned and/or happy accidents abound daily as does sawdust in the hair.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As an interdisciplinary visual artist and product of California, I create work that reflects an internal struggle between sunny days, good waves and the environmental & political unrest of our times. I’m known for my welcoming, beautifully crafted sculptures and assemblages, which function as storytelling platforms for causes I’m deeply passionate about.
Found objects, natural and manufactured, are integral to this visual storytelling, which has totally turned me into a scavenger. A scavenger of materials, moments, and ideas who looks to forge beauty and meaning from their juxtaposition. I hope these juxtapositions ignite puzzled smiles and conversation around social and ecological complacency and their ramifications.
My latest and ongoing body of work, Seascapes Found, exemplifies the interweaving of passion with purpose I strive to achieve. This body of work is inspired by the spiraling shells, alien bones, and sea-weathered driftwood collected with my children along the world’s beaches. My sculptures, reliefs, and digital works, made with seashore debris, imagine future seascapes and whimsical, biomechanical structures as a way of connecting viewers with the struggles of our present coastal ecosystems to encourage change for a better tomorrow. I’m proud of this work and the unique welcoming platform it creates. A platform where fine art and science become an informative tool as many of the found shells used in each sculpture are endangered by continued sea temperature and chemistry changes.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
YES, I’m totally down for all kinds of collaborations.
Collectors looking to buy or request a commission. Perfect. Reach out.
Like-minded organizations, count me in. Art can be a powerful catalyst to build awareness for a cause. Earlier this year, I invited Dr. Sarah Cooley, Director of Climate Science from Ocean Conservancy to speak about ocean acidification during the opening reception of Shallows, my Solo Exhibition at TAG Gallery. I also created a limited-edition series titled Malibu Tidepools where a portion of the proceeds were donated directly to Ocean Conservancy.
Curators and Artists looking to plan and execute an exhibition? Love it. Let’s create a beautiful, meaningful experience.
Looking to support my work? Mark your calendar and come on out to one of my upcoming 2022 solo exhibitions:
TAG Gallery, May 11th – June 4th, 2022
Gallery 825, Sep. 24th – Oct. 28th, 2022
And for all other inquiries, let’s talk!
Contact Info:
- Email: justin@prough.com
- Website: www.justinprough.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/justinproughart
Image Credits
Justin Prough
