Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Hoffman.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was bitten by the art bug at a very young age which carried me to where I am now. From youth art classes at the local art museum to finding my style and influences in high school and then receiving my BFA in Illustration from the Hartford Art School in Connecticut. I’ve always played in every medium with skillful success but took exclusively to oil painting in college. After graduating, I did my best to make art a career and, luckily, was able to translate my traditional background to Graphic Design and Typography. I found the Mac a useful tool to execute my visions and achieve a scaleable and quick process to get my ideas out. Art took a long backseat to playing music in bands as a priority and then came back strong around the 2016 elections when I felt an urgent and nagging need to get my frustrations and years of stagnancy out into the world. I’ve been nonstop since and have had many spectacular opportunities and collaborations thus far.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Luckily, it’s been smooth. Looking back, the only big challenge was honing my design and typography chops, seeing that was the last thing I was interested in and didn’t equate it to actual art at the time. There was definitely some growing pains as I navigated the path to becoming a Designer and the skillset and mindset behind it. It’s a different way of problem-solving visually but as fulfilling as creating a fine art piece. Obviously, like any profession, politics, and connections tend to have a lot to do with it, unfortunately, which gets highly frustrating at times. At the end of the day, I make art for myself because I need to, regardless of the noise.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Most of my work is infused with humor and sarcasm. Images are mixed and manipulated to tell a story and illicit a reaction. Expectations are turned on their heads, or heads are actually switched. While I don’t intend to be political, I enjoy being provocative. I want to get people feeling intrigued and reacting. That’s why my pieces often take the viewer back to a time and place they may remember fondly. My work often incorporates vintage cartoon characters and iconic photographs. But the work isn’t meant to simply give viewers the warm and fuzzies. I like to twist in some edgy piece of reality, a hint of darkness — a wink of subversive realism.
As far as mediums, I work mostly digital, infusing real printmaking and paint textures into the pieces with an almost stencil/silkscreen-like appearance. It’s a nod to my traditional art foundation and makes me feel better about using the Mac as an artistic tool. I also do silkscreens, woodblocks, linocuts, watercolor, etc.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I’m a designer, illustrator, printmaker, and bass player in a punk rock band. My art is slightly surreal yet familiar because I like to screw with the beauty of things. I describe my work as digital printmaking and the style as Lowbrow. Printmaking has taught me that imperfections can make all the difference in a piece. You can have scratches and splotches and plate mistakes. It’s the imperfections that give the finished piece its character.
Pricing:
- My standard 11×14″ archival pigment prints start at $50 and up.
Contact Info:
- Website: brianjhoffman.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/brianjayhoffman Handle: @brianjayhoffman
- Other: TEEPUBLIC: www.teepublic.com/user/brianjhoffman
Image Credits
Stephen Levey
Natily Gonzales
