Today we’d like to introduce you to Rob Grad.
Rob, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I am a visual artist, writer and musician. I came to each medium through a different set of circumstances and appreciate the strengths and limitations of each. I also like to experiment in areas where the different mediums overlap. I did a TEDx talk in Culver City sharing a bit about how things transpired. Here’s a link: http://robgrad.com/contemporary-mixed-media-artist/
I had a hard time growing up. My parents divorced when I was a teenager, right around the time I went through a significant phase with drugs. When the drugs stopped working, I found escape and reprieve through creativity. The redemptive value of the creative expression is a thread that runs through my life and work.
I originally started in music. I grew up in LA in the 1980’s and everyone I knew wanted to be in a band. We all went to the sunset strip on weekends, to see live music and hang out. I started jamming with some neighborhood friends, and we got good. Then we signed a big record deal with RCA Records.
The band was called Kik Tracee. We wound up on MTV, toured, and our songs played on the radio all over the world. We were young, made poor business decisions, and eventually broke up. It was depressing to work so hard for a dream, get so close, only to have it blow up like that. There was a point before the end where it just wasn’t fun anymore. I’d go to museums on tour stops. I found it really inspiring, and started painting during that time when I needed a new, more pure creative outlet.
I dabbled but didn’t really focus on visual art until some years later when some of my demo cd covers started getting attention. I created a couple mixed media paintings using a similar process that I was using for the cd covers. They incorporated photography on transparent plexiglass suspended over paint with other objects. I showed the owner of a small gallery space in West LA, who was the sister of a friend. She offered me a show right on the spot. That exhibit was a turning point. A door opened. It was stressful and challenging, but I loved it.
Today I focus primarily on visual work, but I also blog about creativity, documenting the artistic journey. I wrote my first book last year, and am working on my second now. And I’m launching a new musical project later this year as well. I like to stay busy.
As difficult as the path has been for me, it’s also been amazing. I’ve had some incredible experiences. And I’m grateful. Performing my music on a pedestrian bridge at an art installation in Paris in 2012 is a standout. So many great moments.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I call the core of my work photo-based mixed media wall sculptures.
My most recent series, “I Got This” is a set of abstract self-portraits on layered laser-cut plexiglass which explore how our perspective of ourselves and the world around us changes over time. I’ve been reflective recently, taking notice of where I’ve been, while I recalibrate where I want to go next. Accepting my “story” as something I wouldn’t want to go through again, and yet grateful for what it taught me and where the journey has to spit me out.
I find it fascinating that we all go through our own very specific history, and yet that basic premise is true for everyone. We all have our own story. This is why I boil the figures down to abstraction because it’s not so much about me or a specific person, as it is a certain perspective or feeling that I want to communicate. At that level, ideas and emotions are universal.
I like to cut to the root of things. A guru once told me you have to ask yourself “why” seven times to get a real answer. I’m always looking for that spiritual center. I use my work to try and get past the patterns and conclusions I’ve drawn from my experiences, and what I’ve been told, to arrive at a place as close to direct experience as possible.
At the heart of every social and political issue is complex psychology. My art addresses these issues as I see them. A specific set of circumstances and belief systems support every action we take. I use my work to reflect, attack and support these systems.
When I work, I ask myself a lot of questions. Where did I get that idea? Is it true? Do I really believe that or have I just accepted it as true? When is the first time I thought that way? Was that source reliable?
It’s not easy to strike a balance between being confident in my beliefs and who I am and staying open enough to allow new information in. Staying flexible enough to change my mind or admit I was wrong. These qualities are not always viewed as strengths in current American culture. And yet, that’s what makes being human such a juicy experience. Being a real human is deep. Complex. And spectacular.
My process involves a system I’ve developed for combining paint, drawing and photography in multiple exposures and shapes, using transparency to hide, blend and reveal various elements. I address complex layered issues of our existential existence with physical layers in the work.
Due to the 3D component, they are extremely difficult to photograph. You have to see them in person.
I’ve always felt my best work is in front of me. I still do. That’s what drives me. I’m excited to see what I do next. Where will the idea come from? What will it be? And how will it make someone feel to see/hear/read it?
Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
That is definitely true. Coming from the music world, where everything is so communal, this has been a big adjustment for me. Fortunately the art scene in LA is happening right now and I’ve been able to build a group of artist friends I’m really grateful for. I do have a few suggestions:
1) Be out there. Be supportive of other artists when you meet them. I meet a lot of artists through other friends who connect us. If you like someone’s work, tell them.
2) Get into group shows and talk to the other artists. Go to lectures that interest you. There’s a lot going on here. I’ve met quite a few amazing artists who have become friends because we showed together or attended the same lecture.
3) Check out LAAA (Los Angeles Art Association). It’s at www.laaa.org. Depending on where you are in your career, it could be a good option. They have critique groups you can sign up for that visit one artist’s studio every month for a year. It’s the best way I know to get to know other artists. It made a huge difference for me.
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?
The best thing to do is sign up for my email list. I send out notices of new work, gallery shows, blog posts, updates from the studio, discounts at my shop, etc. Also, I have an online shop where I sell limited edition prints, my book, and some t-shirts I designed. http://shop.robgrad.com.
Also, if you are interested in possibly acquiring original work, I can arrange for a studio visit. Just send me a note through the contact page on my website. It all comes to me. My next gallery show in LA is at Fabrik Projects in December.
You can download a free copy of my book by signing up for my email list. Or if you would like to purchase a hard copy, I am donating some of the proceeds to support art in schools. It’s available in my shop.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.robgrad.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @rob_grad
- Facebook: facebook.com/robgradart
- Other: pinterest.com/robgrad
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