Today we’d like to introduce you to Wallace Colvard.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Growing up in Raleigh, NC, I always had a fascination with the colors, textures and smells of the earth. In addition, I loved making up games and actually designing graphic game boards to go with them. At NC State University, I studied both Visual Environmental Design and Computer Science, although at the time these two disciplines were completely separate, leading to a lot of trekking to opposite ends of the campus and opposite academic cultures. At the time, the School of Design encouraged individual special studies, with a curriculum created collaboratively between advisers and students. I chose Computer Graphics, which didn’t actually exist as an idea, much less as a discipline. My first output was using a pen plotter and computer punch cards in 1969.
Straight out of school, I moved to New York City to find myself personally and artistically. Working as a textile print designer, I learned on the job about painting, delving into the intricacies of color and texture and surface. I can’t emphasize enough the education I received from the city itself – the nightlife and energy at Studio 54 and other venues set against powerful pop images from artists like Warhol and Lichtenstein. It was a creative paradise.
I moved on to become a television art director and animator, winning 7 Emmys and other awards, which itself led to work in Los Angeles in the creative end of the film industry, animation and visual effects. What a joy for me, meeting fascinating and talented people from all over the world!
When I retired from Hollywood in 2014, I realized that I can now set myself truly free creatively, using my somewhat unique knowledge of – and passion for – technology and art. After moving to the desert, I went wild, finding a completely new outlet for my artistic passion. The muse in me woke up and I’m just riding that energy. It can be exhausting, having given up illusions of controlling my output, and just letting it unfold on its own terms. I have been lucky to have a wonderful community around me that gets it.
Please tell us about your art.
I create digital dreams. I use software that was created for the complicated needs of the film/television industry. It’s deep and it’s powerful, and it allows me the freedom to do virtually anything, especially to make images that would be impossible in other media. It is NOT Photoshop. I always felt that painting was too restrictive for me and so I’m happy to have a more unlimited set of tools.
I like to incorporate elements of geometry, photography, color, mathematics and texture in the work. This allows me to make literally hundreds of artistic decisions as I create. I like to form “digital communities” of shape and color that have interlinked dependencies and interactions. Sometimes, there are wonderful surprises along the way, and I like to just go with it at every turn. Math can behave badly, colors spill out of bounds, textures appear out of nowhere. All of it is fun to me.
In practical terms, my final medium is usually printed on Iridium metallic colloidal suspension paper with an acrylic bonded face. Each of my large pieces is unique, with no editions. I have been lucky enough to team up with a master printer right here in the Coachella Valley, after searching the country for this expertise. The conversations we have about color space, detail, texture and so forth might be a shock to some, but it’s all part of the process.
What do you think about conditions for artists today? Has life become easier or harder for artists in recent years? What can cities like ours do to encourage and help art and artists thrive?
Being an artist it tough! My feeling is that you either do it all the way or keep it as a hobby. Regardless of the path you choose, it’s a wonderful outlet for that internal need to create.
My feeling is that the art market is tougher and less accessible now for artists. Getting the word out in an increasingly noisy world is difficult, and while the tools are there, the increased competition is there too. To become a professional artist is an all-or-nothing endeavor. Unfortunately, one must think in terms of it as a business as well, which can be antithetical to creativity. No matter how good you are, gallerists will not knock down your door. You must sell yourself as an entity as well as your work.
Organizations like the Artists Council, Create and the Desert Arts Center in addition to many other local art organizations are happy to offer support with shows, classes and various activities. They are all there as a community to help support and educate artists.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I am currently in a group show at Janssen Artspace in Palm Springs starting December 1. My work can also be seen online at wallacecolvard.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: wallacecolvard.com
- Email: wcolvard@aol.om
Image Credit:
“Brazilian Half Drop”
“Deep Cut Emerald”
“Ikat 2”
“Zillion Dollar”
“Big Pink Plastic”
“Scratch Compass Gold”
“Ikat 10”
“The Story of Enka Mills 2”
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