10 Questions with Adam Martin Disbrow

Adam Martin Disbrow (b. 1986) is an American Expressionist Artist living and working in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. After studying art history, language arts, and literature, he graduated from the University of Virginia in 2008. In 2014 he devoted himself to painting. In 2014 he co-founded the Sperryville Artist Cooperative (SPAC) in Sperryville, Virginia, and has been a resident artist there since its creation. His debut show took place in July 2014 at Alexander Salazar Fine Art in Downtown San Diego, California. He has since shown work in solo and group exhibitions across the United States and virtual exhibitions internationally. Due to the global pandemic, his first in-person exhibitions in the UK and France have been postponed.

Disbrow's oeuvre is a conglomerate of the ubiquitous counterposed with rare, precious, or divine elements. He incorporates spirituality and mysticism to conceptualize the progression of consciousness. Duality, dichotomy, inversion, and reversal are also recurrent themes found across the body of his work. About the conceptuality he incorporates, he says, "I think life and death are actually very simple. It is human beings that are complicated. Art is simple, too. It can be complex in its execution and its presentation, but the statements made by successful works of art are often profoundly simple. This is why it is such a powerful tool."

Texture and sheen play a large role in his work and the quality of the materials he uses. By focusing on these details, the multi-dimensionality that he hopes to express is achieved. He says that the materials used to create art help define the work and assert the artist's statement physically. He is a traditionalist in this sense. He uses raw linen as the substrate for its durability and longevity and its weave pattern and texture. He uses professional heavy body acrylics for the speed at which they dry and the versatility of mixing them with other mediums. He likes oil sticks for the life that the oil paints imbue and their texture, builds, and sheen. He traditionally gilds his works with 24k Gold Leaf as a means of symbolic representation. Charcoal and graphite are also incorporated to convey the feelings of the raw formulation. Acid-free archival ink and aerosol (spray paint) are incorporated as need permits. He appreciates how accepted mixed media has become in contemporary art and keeps to traditional artistic utilities to avoid sensationalism and cynicism.

www.adamdisbrow.com | @adammartindisbrow

 ARTIST STATEMENT

"I am interested in the interaction between opposites and the relationship of opposition, specifically life and death, the sacred and profane, and the seen and the unseen. I explore these connections by representing concepts, objects, and events with objectivity and specificity. I express the microcosm as a representation of the macrocosm. If I express the microcosm successfully, then it is an effective expression of the macrocosm, as well. And the macrocosm is the truth; I seek to express the truth."

INTERVIEW

Tell us a little more about your background. When did you start experimenting with painting, and when did you decide to become an artist?

I was born in a small town in Central Virginia, USA, on May 15, 1986. I was homeschooled and then attended a small unconventional private school. I studied science at the University of Virginia but changed to English Literature— art history, language arts, and critical analysis were my key focus during these formative years. I have always been an artist. I recognized this about myself as a child. I cannot remember when I began to experiment with painting. I studied visual art, music, creative writing, and sculpture in my youth and have received formal instruction in all of these areas. Having practiced these forms of self-expression facilitated my self-awareness, and I declared myself publically as an artist in 2012. In January 2014, I dedicated myself to painting. I decided to paint the paintings I wanted to see in the world and stopped painting what I thought others wanted to see. I gained national representation with Alexander Salazar Fine Art the same year and had my first opening in San Diego, California, on July 25, 2014. After returning to Virginia, I co-founded the Sperryville Artist Cooperative and continue to be active there as a resident artist.

What is your personal aim as an artist?

I believe the role of the artist in society is to assist in the development of its culture. This happens differently for every artist, but I hope that my work is of the healing kind. There is a lot of sickness in art. Sensationalism, greed, defamation, hypersexuality, and more. I have said that "when nothing is sacred, and nothing is safe, then art is brave." I say that because I think it needs to be. To protect the things that are special in this world, it takes bravery and courage. So I want to be that and to do that. Art is cyclic in its way. It is created, ingested, and then influences the creation of new art. I want to be a part of a constructive narrative-- a healthy cultural narrative instead of an unhealthy one. It begins and ends with appreciation.

Your art is full of symbols, yet you stated that art is simple and in its simplicity lies its power. How do you incorporate symbols and still make your art clear? 

I think it is simple. It’s people who are complex. The symbols are one of many tools I use to execute a clear and objective vision. I use layers of objective symbols and concepts to create a conglomerate of ubiquitous elements counterposed with sacred and divine elements. This creates a free space for the mind and eye to express themselves honestly. The paintings have a lot going on. They have to put you in motion and keep you in motion until you land somewhere. I think when that happens, the place you land can often be at some simple truth we carry around inside ourselves but do not objectively recognize regularly. The kind of truth it takes a lifetime of hard work to discover. One thing I find interesting is that as time passes and my work develops - as my process and execution become more complicated and specialized - the statements I make get more and more direct and objective - more simple. It is a common mistake — for everyone, not just artists — to try and say too much and do too much at one time. To be effective, making one clear statement at a time and putting it directly into the work is a direct path to creating successful art. 

How important is the viewers' perception of your work? Do you think that symbols are easily recognizable, or do you play with ambiguity? 

The symbols have their use in that a symbol can carry a lot of information. Some symbols are easily recognizable and bear the weight of human history, while others are more open to interpretation. As a contemporary artist -- an expressionist painter, at that -- I'm not rigid in what I demand from my audience. In fact, the opposite. I allow my work and how it is interpreted to be fluid. It serves no one to demand conformity. I want my work to be freeing, to create a free space for the mind and eye to express itself honestly. 

In your work, you use several different mediums and techniques, like acrylic paint, charcoal, gold leaf, oil sticks, ink, etc. Do these different mediums convey different meanings for you or you use them for the different textures they bring to the final artwork? 

My mediums are utilitarian, like tools in a toolbox I can use to do a job. I like acrylics because of their versatility, how fast they dry. I like oil sticks for the life they bring to the work, plus they build and sheen. Charcoal and Graphite for raw formulation. 24k Gold Leaf is special. I use gold symbolically, it can mean different things: opulence, wealth, or divinity. In alchemy, gold is produced through the destruction of lesser materials. I use gold to symbolically represent the process of destruction for the purpose of higher attainment. 

Your work has a lot of cultural and artistic references. Where do you find inspiration?

I don’t look for things to paint or look for inspiration; it just happens. I enjoy all forms of art — visual, musical, literary — and by turning my attention to the different art forms that I feel drawn to, it broadens awareness, directly affecting what I’m inspired to create. I avoid pop culture and sensationalism because mediocrity is celebrated. I actively combat this trend; the celebration of mediocrity is part of the sickness in culture. I’m scrutinizing what ideas pass into physical creation from the conceptual. I get ideas all the time, and I don’t paint everything I imagine.

How would you describe your creative process?

It depends upon the piece. Most of my pieces begin with a clear mental image. Sometimes I begin with sketches; other times, I desire the piece to actively form in motion, adding to the symbolic representation of the piece. When I begin to paint, I approach the canvas with an empty mind and a free hand to execute the base layers in an aleatoric way. As the painting develops, I add specificity and objectivity. As the piece comes to completion, I often live with it and work on it in my mind. I take great care with the details as the piece comes to completion; I will spend a long time studying it visually, paying close attention to the textures and sheens and how they pronounce at different angles and under different lights. When a painting is finished, I can feel it. Then I call it complete and place my signature in the bottom right corner.  

What do you hope that the public takes away from your work?

I hope that viewers take away from my work what they have brought to it. If I dared to hope for more, it would be that in each momentary interaction, my work would act as a mirror-- not the kind of mirror that reveals our physical reflection, but the kind of mirror that reveals what we carry inside of ourselves. I believe that everything we can see and touch is a manifestation of something unseen-- in this way, all physical objects are like the shadow of their original thought. I want my work to act as a mirror that reveals the unseen elements we use to define ourselves.

Who is the typical collector that purchases your paintings?

I'm not sure. People all over the world and in all demographics have collected and purchased my work. 

Finally, what are your plans for the future? Any exciting projects, exhibitions, or collaborations you are looking forward to? 

My goal is to continue creating. I am grateful and humbled by the enthusiastic response my work receives around the world. Once in-person events begin again, I look forward to exhibiting again in solo and group exhibitions. I am scheduled to show work with SKT Gallery at the Nice Art Expo in April 2022, which is very exciting. Other than that, please follow my work on Instagram or by subscribing to my newsletter by reaching out to me directly at www.adamdisbrow.com. I post updates regularly and share events as they occur. I am grateful to the team at Singulart, who have shared my work internationally with thousands of art collectors and appreciators, and facilitated my first international sales. And for my dear friend and ally Cherl Crews for always believing in my work and continuing to elevate the standards I set for myself. I look forward to continued collaboration with Alexander Salazar whom I admire greatly as both an amazing artist and a seasoned art dealer, and who knows the industry far better than myself, and who I continue to learn from. I am grateful for this opportunity to talk with you and share my thoughts directly about my work and my process. Thank you so much.