Today we’d like to introduce you to Gordon Studer.
Hi Gordon, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Growing up with a father who was a university professor meant that my family frequently moved to various college towns, each one brimming with intellectual energy and scholarly pursuits. Despite my youth, my mother made a concerted effort to expose me to the rich world of museums during each transition. It was within the walls of art and history museums that I discovered a sense of enchantment and awe, igniting my imagination at an early age. While I had previously dabbled in drawing and creative endeavors, my attention was largely diverted to sports during my adolescent years. Following an unsuccessful attempt at playing football at Penn State, a teacher’s encouragement reignited my passion for art and set me on a path toward earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. After college, I found success in commercial illustration and design, working independently as an illustrator for over two decades. Despite this success, I came to realize that my career in illustration was but a mere shadow of my true passion for fine art. With this realization came the decision to commit fully to my artistic calling, a decision I made four years ago and have never regretted since.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The only thing I have to say about obstacles and challenges is that being at the end of my rope with nothing to lose has led me to take leaps of faith that have positively defined my life.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work is influenced by my years as a designer and illustrator. I work with forms and layers in my paintings, much like the layers in Adobe Photoshop. I have a powerful dream world, and I feel a liminal connection to it when painting. The shapes and forms in my work are emotional representations of these dreams. Typically, the bottom layers reveal the past, while the top layers depict a specific moment in the present, resulting in a cohesive narrative.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I remember wandering off from my mother as a very small child at the Museum of Natural History in NYC. I became completely absorbed in the exhibits and ended up wandering for over an hour to the back of the museum, where they eventually found me gazing up at an ancient totem.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gordonstuder.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/gordonstuder/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/gordon.studer
- Other: https://www.gordonstuder.com/workshops
Image Credits
Photos of me by: Bart Nagel
