Where Art Lies....The Practice of Colin McCallum
Colin McCallum is a Scottish born painter who studied fine art in London where he lived until he moved to Barcelona in 2002. He has exhibited his work throughout the world and has his paintings in private and corporate collections in numerous countries.
He is an artist that thrives in an urban environment. His paintings are abstracted images that come from his experience of contemporary living, with all its technology and fast pace. Colour is an important aspect of his work and he often uses metallic and fluorescent paints that accentuate the viewing experience.
He mostly works in series. This approach drives not only each individual piece, but it is also the binding factor throughout Colin’s impressive catalogue. Each work belongs to a series in
which a technique, a collection of materials, and a graphic pattern are derived and refined and repeated to form a holistic unity.
The carefully chosen titles of the series coherently refer to processes rather than common subjects, and many echo the lexicon of computer programming and electronics. Craft versus technology.
He regularly shows his work at international art fairs in major cities such as Singapore, Hong Kong and New York. He works out of his central city studio in Barcelona where there is a buzzing art scene of cosmopolitan artists and he is very active at local art events.
Last August he displayed 10 large-scale paintings for the duration of 6 months at the emblematic Richard Rogers building 88 Wood Street in the City of London.
Earlier this year in Barcelona, he exhibited a large group of paintings in a beachside renovated factory that resulted in him being interviewed for the main cultural television channel BTV. Most recently he was selected for The Other Art Fair at Victoria House, Bloomsbury, London and is planning upcoming displays in Hong Kong and London later in the summer.
In your artist statement on your website you state the following: "Ultimately my intention is to reproduce without representing, evoke without illustrating and express without formulating", Can you expand on the meaning of this?
It would be constricting for me to literally try to represent an idea, for example, if I am interested in a
digital computer screen or city buildings at night, I would not want this in front of me in order to copy the form. Whilst there is nothing wrong with artists who require a physical reference to create their art, for me it gets in the way. The visual or memory of it is in my head, I can see it in my mind’s eye, and I believe that this is where creativity begins.
The starting point of the idea becomes something else as I begin to paint, creating the artwork. This is what I refer to as to evoke without illustrating, it is an essence of something real or tangible. Without having this reference I can allow myself to explore. The freedom of technique and imagination can open many doors. I experiment with the medium I choose for each idea; the paint can take me in
alternative directions.
The idea often dictates the choice of materials, for this reason I like to use a variety of paints and tools, such as metallic, fluorescent and spraypaints and stencils, which allow me to optimise the exploration process. The medium is an extension of the concept and offers many ways to pursue and distort it.
The image observes the real and through the medium transforms it to create an equivalent reality. My paintings often have many layers and complexities but my intention is to also reveal what is hidden beneath
Can you give After Nyne a brief look into your history as an artist, and how this has, in turn, affected your craft?
I studied art at Camberwell School of Art, London, at that time a school best known for producing figurative artists. I spent a lot of time in the life drawing room that gave me a strong understanding of space and form and ultimately the appreciation of the importance of drawing. I applied this skill to my art from this point forward, a skill that I have perfected throughout my career.
Even nowadays architects and designers, who use computers with complicated software, still draw, it is essential to quickly document an idea or image. Drawing is a rapid connection from head to hand, a short hand for many artists, whether it is on a computer or with a basic pencil and paper. For example, I always use a sketchbook to make quick drawings whilst they are fresh in my mind, these are visual diaries and I often refer to them for my paintings. It is useful to look back at ideas that I may or
may not pursue.
Early in my career I was more interested in urban landscape paintings, large format size and always painted from memory. I was less occupied with colour and my works were more tonal than colourful. Gradually I began to move away from observational painting to using images from my experience and imagination rather than what was immediately in my field of vision. I had always used oil paint but as my art changed so did my choice of medium and acrylic paint gave me faster results and in turn had an affect on the final image. For example, for my Template series, I pour the paint directly onto the canvas; this would not be possible with oil.
I have always been very disciplined and I treat going to my studio as if it were a job, because for me it is. I have been fortunate to have had spacious studios close to my home which have given me the luxury of more time to create my work.
I have usually worked in isolation but having a dialogue with other artists has always been beneficial for discussion of ideas and feedback. I began exhibiting my work very early on in my career in a variety of galleries in the UK and studio exhibitions. In more recent years, I have been more active in
local art events with artists who work in completely different disciplines; it is good to see what others are doing. I have had the opportunity to show internationally at many art fairs around the world, it is a great way to reach a wide and varied audience.
Over the course of 5 - 10 years, how do you see your work developing?
I don’t normally look or plan that far ahead, I am usually thinking about the next painting! However, if I look back 5 to 10 years, I can see more clearly how my work has changed and taken alternative directions. This was an organic progression rather than a conscious decision. I began to work in series around 7 years ago and I am pleased that I did. Each series expands on the initial starting point and in turn has led to new series and extensive experimentation with mediums and ways of applying them.
Based on my progress in the last decade, if I maintain this level it will be very exciting. The last couple of years have been especially productive and I plan to continue this way. My newest works have great scope for development and further experimentation.
I am also involved in a project with another artist who works with sound and computer technology. We have been experimenting for the last 18 months with an idea to transform certain of my paintings into light projections using mapping technology. This is very exciting and opens up a myriad of viewing options for these images. We call the project IRIS and we have so far selected 3 or 4 paintings to
experiment with the idea, it has received a lot of attention so we hope to perfect the technology to make it viable for art collectors and perhaps corporate displays.
Thinking ahead, I also see possibilities of working with textiles, fashion and 3D printing, my latest works have a diversity of applications and I am open minded as to where it can take me as an artist.
There has to be 'fuel for the fire' what is your fuel?
My fuel is a life long curiosity of the visual world. Since I was a child I was always passionate about art. I have always been intrigued by the possibility of transforming a flat surface, there are so many options. Like a writer with a blank page, there is an excitement about what comes next.
Living in a huge metropolis like London has been a catalyst for my art. I thrive on the energy that a huge city can provide, whilst it can be overwhelming at times, the intensity can also be exhilarating.
I thrive in the accelerated life-style of contemporary urban environments.
Other art is always stimulating. If I see a particularly good exhibition, I am instantly rejuvenated and cannot wait to get to my studio to carry on my work! I have varied tastes and my interests are not just restricted to painting, I am stimulated by technology, architecture, design, cinema and literature, amongst other things. There is so much to absorb in contemporary city life. Also, my paintings themselves are a fuel that gives life to the next series of work.
I think this quote from the writer W H Auden is a good way to summarise: “Art lies in the valley of its own making”.
Image 1: Flux Green Red Blue 2015
Image 2: Prism Magenta Green Yellow 2014
