Today we’d like to introduce you to Bradley Atkinson.
Bradley, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
DirtyDadBrad surfaced as a dumping ground for photos that wouldn’t “fit the social media grid.” It then transformed into a digital art account for all the art I had nailed up on my walls. I wanted the people who didn’t come over to my apartment to see the work.
It was really through finally sharing my art and not hiding it away like a hermit that I started making it my ‘work.’ Now I’m working on shows, commissions, side projects, poetry illustrations, magazine interviews etc. It has now officially been one year since moving to Los Angeles. I told myself when I flew out here that I would start focusing on art more and blaze a trail for it. One year later and I’m right where I hoped I would be. Doors seemed to open and close around me and it leads me right to where I needed to be.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s not an easy road – but I say that only because I have no idea where all of this’ll take me. I’m flyin’ by the seat of my overalls. Yeah, rent is sometimes tough but Los Angeles is expensive!! However, I do have flashes of what I’d like to see along that road [I want an oboe at my first solo exhibition. I want to hang a giant painting in a giant mansion stairwell. I want a fancy gallery opening outside of the country]. Overall I find a lot of enjoyment when people ask what I do… “I’m an artist, I paint.” I guess I still have my rose-colored lenses on.
Please tell us about DirtyDadBrad.
I paint. I make art. I have a hard time explaining my personal style – I still experiment with any mediums I can get my hands on. I’m thrifty – canvases by the dumpster are gold to me – I’ll paint over them. Trader Joe’s bags are also gold you can turn those into anything. I’ve just started dabbling in making my own paints, mixing natural pigments with cactus juice, some glue, and water. I normally paint in acrylic, in charcoal, in watercolor. I often prefer my work to hang unstretched. I love to work on a large scale. I love building my own frames, my own canvases, and wooden surfaces. I’m constantly searching for textures and new surfaces to paint on. Generally, DirtyDadBrad is a big exploration. I don’t think I’ll ever paint the same vase everyday for the rest of my career. I think of my art very much like my studio apartment. It’s like a living organism. You add things and take things away. It’s always changing and moving around. It sort of lives and breathes with you.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I sometimes wonder where I would be if I had gone to college to study art. If I was painting everyday and letting a professor critique my work. Would it have made me a better artist or would I have lost a bit of my own style? There’s always the option to go back to school but I’m eager to figure all of this out on my own. It may take a little longer but I’m in no rush.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://Instagram.com/dirtydadbrad
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @DirtyDadBrad
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