Today we’d like to introduce you to Braden Bouchard.
Braden, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I always had aspirations to do something in a creative field as an adult. I got really into photography around age 12, when I got my first DSLR camera, and starting learning Photoshop. Back then, my dream was to be a photographer for National Geographic. I continued to have a passion for photography until I began attending Savannah College of Art and Design. There, I got introduced to an overwhelming amount of new and intriguing possibilities in the art world. A year in, I changed my major to Graphic Design and pursued a minor in Photography in addition to that. Art school opened my eyes to the countless things photography can be beyond what I had grown accustomed to. Therefore, I grew a disinterest for more straightforward subject matter, and since finishing school, I’ve been on a journey to develop an aesthetic I can truly call my own.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I create artwork from photography, but I don’t think my work is something anyone would envision when they hear “photography.” I’m more interested in the process than the final result. My favorite classes throughout art school were ones that involved more hands-on manipulation and development. Printmaking, film photography, etc. I’m fascinated by alternative processes and techniques, and I think that carries over into my work. My biggest stylistic inspiration comes from street art and hip-hop. I think there’s a lot of beauty in worn down places/mediums. Abandoned buildings overtaken by graffiti tags and grime, low fidelity beat sampling, there’s a certain grittiness to things like that I can’t get enough of. The major visual component to my work is my own experiences. Spending countless sleep-deprived nights wandering around with my camera while in art school, and for a time afterward, I developed a certain appreciation for how perception and vision can become distorted and impaired. Together, these two primary sources comprise the process of creating my work. Lots of texture, graffiti, and street scenes, coupled with exaggerated, psychedelic colors, and fractured compositions, generate a final product. I use a few different photo manipulation and layering techniques, and my process is largely based on trial and error. I usually have a single idea for a potential direction to go in, and I play around with that until I get a result I’m excited about, and then alter the trajectory accordingly. I want people to look at my work, and have to ask, “how did you make that?” Many people think my pieces are paintings when they first see them and are shocked when I tell them it’s digital photography. I think if people aren’t compelled to ask a question about your work after looking at it, it’s a little too straightforward. I want to create work with just enough recognizable elements, that you’re curious if you’re viewing a scene from the real world or a world of fiction.
In your view, what is the biggest issue artists have to deal with?
I think getting your work in front of the right people is the biggest hurdle to achieving success as an artist. Social media is a double-edged sword to the art world. It’s easier to share your work, but that accessibility creates a supersaturated market of artists competing to get noticed first. I think this also presents a challenge for artistic integrity. You don’t need an original idea or style anymore. You need a $3,000 camera and the resources to take the cliché photos you know are a sure seller. Toes in the sand on the beach at sunset, oversaturated nature/travel photos, straight down shots of food on a table with soft natural lighting, the Instagram era of photography. Same goes for design too. Most people don’t want beautiful hand designed typography posters or minimalist pop culture designs; they want an unoriginal handwritten script on three planks of wood that say, “Live. Laugh. Love.” It’s an internal struggle sometimes to see things like that at the top of millions of designs on a site like Society6, and not have the urge to throw your integrity out the window for something subpar and played out because you know you could make money off it.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I primarily post on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/streetsafariart/
I have done a couple of events in the San Diego area with RAW Artists and Connect San Diego, and I’m always open to doing more of that! Any of my work on my Instagram can be purchased as a print, contact me at bbouch22@gmail.com for any inquiries regarding that. I also have some products available on Society6 with various pieces on them:
https://society6.com/bradenboucharddesign
Contact Info:
- Website: https://society6.com/bradenboucharddesign
- Phone: 3212792681
- Email: bbouch22@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/streetsafariart/
- Other: https://www.behance.net/braden_bouchard
Image Credit:
Braden Bouchard
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