Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Skivington.
Andrew, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
My father was into photography, so to try to connect with him, I used to sneak in his room to look at his books on the subject. I was dazzled with the creative use of color and framing that could generate a story or a feeling in a single frame. Over time my mother purchased a second-hand camera for me to use when I was around eight, I was hooked.
I was also becoming more aware of recorded music, particularly his vinyl collection of opera and classical; however, it was the album covers that had me fascinated. The constraints of a 12″ square also pushed artists to create amazing work within that. Some had gatefold sleeves where you felt you could just step inside and be inside another world. That epic feel pushed me to print my work as large as the format could take to allow the viewer to get a sense of awe I felt back then.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I mainly focus on abstract photography. I like to distort, crop, and rotate the image to make the subject matter I am taking a picture of to become its own thing. I’m rather loathed to use PhotoShop, so I aim to create the piece through the lens through obscure lenses or merely abusing the camera to get what I want. I got that ethic from studying the work of Storm Thorgerson, of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin album cover fame, who always tried to do it for real… the unreal for real.
My work tends to represent what I’m feeling at the time, autobiographical one minute, worried about the planet in the next. Sometimes it’s just the mere explosion of color that turns me over or making something chaotic beautiful. Getting a color image to emote is a more difficult thing than a monochrome one, so that’s a big motivator to keep trying new techniques. I’m also interested in human psychology, so I enjoy people looking at my work and making their own interpretations of what they see.
Do current events, local or global, affect your work and what you are focused on?
Not really. Artists always seem to have the impulse and moral compass to call out the injustices of the world, regardless of the risks they face. As my work is rather abstract in its nature, it tends to err more on escapism, but there are a few pieces of mine that speak to the issues the world faces.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I have an Instagram page which I update each week, and I currently have a selection of my work at M Designs in The Paseo Colorado, Pasadena, but I’m likely to have a full show there sometime later in the year.
Contact Info:
- Address: M Designs, 300 E Colorado Blvd, Ste 219, Pasadena, CA.
- Website: https://www.macelledesigns.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewskivington/
Image Credit:
Andrew Skivington
Headshot was taken by Robin Foley Portraits
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