Interview with Andre Woolery
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Andre's style is a deconstruction of light that allows him to breathe structured color into every form. Combining this with graphical elements that express something beyond their physical shapes. He wants his work to visually appear close to a digital production while still remaining hand crafted. Society is sitting in the middle of digital and traditional worlds and that's where he wants his artwork to be positioned. His paintings are "simple seduction". Using simple elements that can convey an immediate message while still offering more if you fully engage. Upon engagement, viewers will be seduced through the use of striking colors, subject matter, and composition. This approach will hopefully bring Andre's art to a broader, unsuspecting audience.
Hi Andre, today MoW selected 4 of your artworks inspired by music. Can you tell MoW why you chose those music artists ? What was the music behind the artworks ? What inspired you to create them ?
For the Erykah Badu piece, I have always been in a trance by her. The music, her persona, and her striking beauty. I wanted to create a piece that would allow the viewer to be caught up in several parts of her being.
As for Jay-Z and Kanye, there seemed to be a dominant force of black males in popular culture. It was a moment in time, where the black man had larger than life status and could fit within the frame of pop art. From Jay-Z transcending music to be a global mogul, to Kanye pushing the hip hop genre into new territory, to the United States on the verge of re-electing the first black president. This was clearly a moment when the black man was pop on all levels.
Why is music important to you and your art?
I really use music as a soundtrack for my life and it’s an art form that helps other things flow. Whenever I create its always on to keep me flowing. In terms of the subjects chosen for my art.
If you had to choose between the artworks presented today, which of your artwork would be your favorite ? And why ?
I would have to choose the Jay-Z piece particularly because it was a distinct moment for my career as an artist. Prior to that piece it was a hobby that I just wanted to get better at without sharing with the world. After creating that piece with pushpins, I entered into a new medium that everyone gravitated towards but also put more pressure on me to take things seriously. It was the moment that I began to really become dedicated to being an artist.
Can you tell MoW more about the techniques you used. How old is your technique? How did it start? How long does it take you to make an artwork?
For the pushpin pieces, it takes a few weeks to complete a piece because they consist of typically more than 6,000 pushpins in total. I typically create an outline of the face to get the porportions right then go one line at a time like a typewriter to create. Here is a small timelapse of a piece I did:
Do you have plans on creating new artworks inspired by music ?
There is a lot new work that I have in the studio that I will be creating over the upcoming year. You can expect a female spin on the first collection of pushpin pieces as well as some style portraits of the dancehall scene in Kingston. Eventually I want to get into jazz. There are some other projects as well but if you follow me on Instagram, you can get the exclusive leaks before anything launches…
Do you listen to music when you’re working ? If so, what kind of music ?
Music in the studio is mandatory. I listen to everything. It really depends on the mood I'm in or the type of work I have to do in studio. It can range from Isaac Hayes to Beres Hammond to Pusha T to Sebastien Tellier and then to Prince. I'm alwayas looking for new sounds and open to exploring new genres. The journey of music discovery never ends.
What is the song you liked the most lately? The album ? What was the last gig you went to ?
I have been playing the Heroes + Misfits album by Kris Bowers on repeat. Its really dope jazz music and I’ve found that when I do oil paintings, this album puts me in a great frame of mind. The song Wonder Lover is one that I play most frequently on the album.
Are you a musician yourself ?
I am not a musician… at all. I have rhythm but can’t play a single instrument. The best I can do is a little beatbox. I am a bit of a tech geek so when I was younger I discovered this program called Impulse Tracker. It was a Windows based program that allowed you to compose music tracks by taking audio samples and placing them like sheet music. I spent a lot of time back in high school and college making “beats” for my friends to freestyle over.
Find out more about Andre Woolery here :
www.facebook.com/AndreWooleryArt
