All posts tagged: DEREK SHUMATE
Brooklynite Pairs Emerging Talents : “STEALTH: ARTISTS ABOVE THE RADAR”
THE NETHERLANDS & TEXAS join forces for a new art show in New York! Could you find greater opposites? How about
Sarah Palin and Angela Merkel ? Judas Priest and Dan Deacon ? Shakespeare and the Cast of “Jersey Shore”?
Brooklynite Gallery is pairing Collin Van Der Sluijs, a Dutchman from the Netherlands, with Derek Shumate from Houston for Saturday’s “Stealth: Above the Radar” show, and these two share one thing in the eyes of the gallery.“We strongly felt that these two emerging artists deserved a bigger stage to showcase their exceptional talent,” says Rae McGrath of the Bed Stuy venue. Enough said.
BSA had an opportunity to talk to both artists, see some of the new work that will be shown, and find out more about them.
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Brooklyn Street Art: How would you describe your style of painting?
Collin Van Der Sluijs: Most of the time I’m working on paintings about my life, so for me it’s autobiographical work that I make. I take little aspects (or big ones) from my daily life, and I translate them into my images.
Derek Shumate: My style? Usually I tell people “Mixed-Medium” or “Abstract” but I feel as if it’s much more than that. At times I feel like we’re all going through similar experiences, facing dire straits and that this artwork pouring out is a result of this energy. We’re all bombarded with information on a daily basis and multi-tasking to survive in this confusing world that seems to be speeding off the rails.
Brooklyn Street Art: Both of you guys’ work contain many different elements, ranging from figures to textures to shapes and text. Can you talk about how you assemble your work, or how you decide on what is included?
Collin Van Der Sluijs: Basically, some elements appear in my work during the process of making it. Sometimes I also erase things when they don’t match with the things that are happening in my head.
Derek Shumate: I don’t really have a defined process. Basically I’m always gathering bits and particles of things I like that come through my life and I spend vast amounts of time filtering it out into what you see. A lot of the elements in my larger paintings are fragments of prints and other works I’ve done in the past. I’ll also mix in stuff from my childhood sketchbooks.
It really depends on the mood of the piece. I start by putting down a few layers of colors and take it from there. Once I grasp a concept I start to hide little relevant elements as I build up the piece to something that works for me compositionally. Regardless, every piece contains various mediums such as inks, oils and acrylics. It’s almost as if I’m just attempting to harmonize everything I’ve got onto the surface at hand.
Brooklyn Street Art: Collin, you have talked about consumer behavior and it’s affect on your work. How does it impact your work?
Collin Van Der Sluijs: I grew up in a small village and it’s still fun to see big cities. I travel a lot but it always surprises me when there is a 70% off sale sign in the window of a big shopping mall and I see everybody lines up like sheep. You know what I mean? I think about this and its’ visual communication. I like it and hate it at the same time. I think of these kind of things when I work.
Brooklyn Street Art: Derek, you use a lot of collaged pieces and textures and the occasional figure. Do you ever think of doing portraiture?
Derek Shumate: Sometimes. I’ve had ideas to do a series of different people like politicians, pop icons and other people of influence. I feel as if I’m heading more in that direction because there’s so much going on in the world right now and I want to put these people that are in charge into a new light, so-to-speak. You’ll probably see more portraiture from me in the future.
Brooklyn Street Art: Does Street Art influence you in any way Collin?
Collin Van Der Sluijs: Well, not really to be honest, I’m basically a studio artist. In 1999 and 2000 street art was big in my town, but a lot of people put like 3 stickers up somewhere and build a reputation out of that. That’s lame. There are some people I admire in the street art scene, but I think I can count them on my ten fingers.
Brooklyn Street Art: How about you Derek, does Street Art play a part in your creative life at all?
Derek Shumate: Most Definitely. The streets of Brooklyn to be specific.
I lived in New York for a few years and I would walk the streets on a daily basis, absorbing not only the art but also the weathered architecture and other surfaces.
I’d document and participate in the organic, collaborative atmosphere we were all creating.
I felt at home with creativity and potential everywhere I’d look. I’d never before interacted with my environment in such a way. I’ve got photo collections of all the street art and graffiti I admire from different cities I’ve visited over the years. However, nothing that I’ve found has the charm that exists in Brooklyn.
Brooklyn Street Art: Collin, what’s your favorite part of the creative experience?
Collin Van Der Sluijs: When things go wrong. Then, with a little adjustment I can make it good again, or better. Small things like that put the strawberry on the cake, for me.
Brooklyn Street Art: Collin says he likes when things go wrong! Derek, what’s your favorite part of the creative experience?
Derek Shumate: Finishing the piece! Well, not really. That’s a great feeling but of all the other parts I’d have to choose that moment where I’m completely lost in the piece and absolutely nothing else in the world matters. I’m sure anyone who creates is familiar with this amazing feeling.
But like Collin, I also like it when you totally f*ck something up but then later you realize it was the most perfect mistake that could have ever happened because it leads you in directions you never thought you’d venture to and takes your skills and pieces to new heights.
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Fun Friday 02.05.10 : Sydney Clamation, Brooklynite Staff Video Grind, Syncopated Dancing Alpacas
Claymation Graffiti from Sydney
Sydney is especially into traditional 80s graffiti. “The popularity of this type of spray-can graffiti can be traced back to a very specific time, place and person. His name is Taki183 and, in the very early 1970s, he was a foot courier in New York City.”
This is a well-done animation (claymation) of three young urban hip-hop artists showcasing their art in the well known Sydney legal graffiti thoroughfare May Lane in St Peters, Sydney, Australia.
Because the city of Sydney, Australia actually sets aside a part of the city just for graffiti, artists there don’t have to look over their shoulder to get up. This is a brand new documentary called “From Vandalism to Art” about the current Street Art & Graffiti scene in this neighborhood of Sydney.
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Brooklynite’s Dancey Prep for Installation
DANCE ME A DANCE!
Meanwhile, back in Brooklyn – Musical Artist Riva Starr has just released a single and apparently this video is being used to inspire the staff of Brooklynite Gallery to bump and grind as they prepare their new installation. I dare you not to laugh. Or Dance.
When you look at this video and stop snorting, you can look at a couple images from the show they are preparing for, “Stealth, Above the Radar”
It features super cool work like this one from Derek Shumate called “Alien”. The dude is from Houston, Texas. Down there they pronounce that “hews-ton”.
The other artist in the Brooklynite Show on February 13 is Collin Van Der Sluijs. Don’t ask me how to pronounce that. I’m still working on “Doppelganger”, which at first I thought had something to do with testicles, but it turns out it has nothing to do with the Tea-bag Party at all. But I digress.
Brooklynite Gallery is HERE
Collin’s site is http://www.collinvandersluijs.com
And Derek’s is http://www.derekshumate.com
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AND FOR THE “FUN FRIDAY” FINALE
Frantically Talented Dancing Alpacas
From your friends アルパカ×smooooch in Japan, a high-energy, low-fi, head-trippy dance attack that works better if you have put some medicinal mushrooms in your tea this morning. WARNING: Sped up Euro-Disco-Club-Anthem Ahead.
“Stealth: Artists Above The Radar” COLLIN VAN DER SLUIJS / DEREK SHUMATE at Brooklynite
NEWSFLASH
January 13, 2010
BROOKLYNITE GALLERY PRESENTS ITS FIRST SHOW FOR 2010
“STEALTH: ARTISTS ABOVE THE RADAR”
COLLIN VAN DER SLUIJS / DEREK SHUMATE
FEBRUARY 13 – March 6, 2010
OPENING RECEPTION: FEBRUARY 13, 7-10PM EASTERN
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Brooklynite Gallery is proud to present our first exhibition of 2010 entitled,”Stealth: Artists Above The Radar”, featuring the works of Collin Van Der Sluijs and Derek Shumate. From February 13 to March 6th, we offer up our gallery walls as a soapbox for these two under-exposed artists from different ends of the world, both of who use their canvases much like mental filing cabinets to store information full of free expression and socio-political views. Follow us, if you will, on these
two hypothetical journeys.
Imagine a blender that can be filled with ripe pieces of paper containing creative juices, leafy ideas and plump inspirations. Imagine that it can also be filled with lush subconscious thoughts, including healthy, fresh social and political views. Add in a sprinkling of vivid, circular planet-like shapes. But wait, this recipe doesn’t only contain ingredients that are good for you. Now, add in black smoke stacks, toxic chemicals and dust-covered landscapes. Top it off with disproportionately sized animal/human hybrids covered in oil-based liquids. Flip the “on” switch to this blender and watch as it mixes and intermingles these colorful thoughts, robust ideals and tart visions. Pop the top and pour directly on a canvas. …You’ve just recreated the work of Dutch “Pop-Fantasy Life” painter, Collin Van Der Sluijs.
Imagine if you will, a Houston-born, abstract artist by the name of Derek Shumate with multi-colored, circuitry wires running out from the back of his head. These wires immediately transfer a continuous flow of conscious thoughts from the portal to new mediums and surfaces for fear of losing spontaneity. Bold colors, upon layers and layers of torn bits of information, which often resemble a topographical map, are collected from various sources, including but not limited to, personal tragedies, today’s headlines and the artists’ imagination. These issues appear to be clouding, as
they often do in life, the human existence as it relates to the environment. This obsessive-compulsive process produces work that is free from traditional morals or social constraints and like a young adolescent, expresses opinions full of honesty.
That is —to those that can decode the artist’s messages.
Check out more of their work here: http://www.collinvandersluijs.com / http://www.derekshumate.com