Introducing the art of Rob Buntin (interview)

ROB BUNTIN

DESTIG TORONTO - ART | DESIGN | TRAVEL - ISSUE 09 / JANUARY 2021

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"HOW MARVELOUS THAT THEY BROUGHT FORTH SUCH MAGNIFICIENCE FROM THEIR BRUSHES AND CHISELS." - ANONYMOUS

"My work is born from and most closely aligns with postimpressionism and fauvism... In my own words I have referred to my work as modern impressionism. It is an exploration of color culminating in combinations of layered strokes that deliver a smack to the brain, while at the same time pulling you into a warmth of graduating hues."

0202 FO TSEB GITSED

Rob Buntin is an oil painter of 30 years, and his story

my iPad and Apple pencil to sketch a few drafts. I have

from the dusty dirt roads of Georgia in the United

configured the pencil to mimic my stroke so I can get a

States to the cobbled streets of France carries with it

sense of how it will play out. This takes a few hours but on

some turns that explain his style. Buntin brings

occasion, sketching for a commission has taken weeks.

impressionism to the future by leveraging colors layered in deliberate brush strokes that deliver a

After planning out the colors, composition, and layers

physiological spark, while light captured across

thoroughly, I begin painting. I paint layer upon layer

matter and air draws in and calms.

across the whole canvas. The oils dry at different rates depending on the color and chemical makeup, so I may

The first thing that must strike viewers of your work

wait 2 to 10 days between layers. As long as I stick to the

is a great level of dedication and attention to detail.

color plan, the painting will wrap up in 20 to 80 hours.

Tell us about your process and how long it takes you

This may seem like a lot, but it is elegant compared to

to work on a painting.

where I once was. There was a time when I would just pick

The process is a mix of old and new. I capture photos,

up the brush at the moment the concept struck me and

scoping out locations during the day, and returning at

start painting. I would spend a few hours painting joyfully,

dusk and dawn. I sift through the photos, and then get

and then a few more grunting, then repainting, then

"Where impressionists paint with masterful fleeting strokes, I may plan the placement of an individual stroke. In the end my work fills the gap between the past and the present, and allows me to feel a connection with those great masters."

repeat. Even on occasion I would spend an

Your work feels like an information age

hour sanding the paint off with an electric

update on impressionism. What did you

sander

identify as missing in this field?

or

cutting

the

canvas

and

remounting it (Pan to the curious

I once cringed to think of the technology

expressions

gallery

connection. I had sought to get as far

window). Over the years I have learned to

away from my 3:00 am cubicle nights as

trust the more methodical process.

possible, but the deliberate nature of my

looking

in

the

art is definitely influenced by the tech How would you describe your work in

methodologies

your own words?

programming and analysis. I have grown

It is born from and most closely aligns

to accept it.

with post-impressionism and fauvism.

Regarding a gap that I was trying to fill,

I have never heard a specific name for it,

this was not a deliberate endeavor. I have

although have heard it affectionately

always connected with the art of Paul

called ‘blocky’, or even better, a mix of

Signac. The way the colors interact is just

cubism and pointillism called ‘pubism’. In

amazing. Over time my technique grew

my own words I have referred to it as

into a pseudo impressionism/fauvism but

modern

an

with a layered technique that requires a

in

more

impressionism.

exploration

of

color

It

is

culminating

of

deliberate

20

years

approach.

paint

with

of

IT

Where

combinations of layered strokes that

impressionists

masterful

deliver a smack to the brain, while at the

fleeting strokes, I may plan the placement

same time pulling you into a warmth of

of an individual stroke. In the end my

graduating hues.

work fills the gap between the past and

the present, and allows me to feel a connection with those great masters.

You are especially drawn to painting cityscapes and landscapes at dusk and dawn. What qualities make them such compelling subjects?

The moment when the street lights have just come on or are just about to go off… when the sky is a deep blue… the black of the buildings is broken up by violets of dawn and dusk inching in, and the lights from windows throw warm glows of yellows and oranges. It allows me to graduate colors such as from blue to violet to red, which delivers the most impact. It also allows for striking complementary colors such as rich blues and rich oranges to be present in close proximity.

These are old school color theories that are present in almost all of my paintings. When I am walking alone in the black streets at 5am, my first thoughts are that I would rather be in bed, but as the sky starts to warm and a few windows across the city start to flicker on as people start their early routines, the colors emerge and pictures start to be painted in my head.

You

have

talked

about

achieving

a

psychological spark in viewers of your work.

Give us some specifics on this.

For me the art that I am most drawn to starts with the color combinations and how certain combinations can trigger the dopamine release in the frontal cortex. It is never a single color alone, but is the perfect harmony of juxtaposed colors that intensifies the effect. That is the spark that I seek out in my paintings. Sometimes it is a bright spark triggered by combinations of

"For me the art that I am most drawn to starts with the color combinations and how certain combinations can trigger the dopamine release in the frontal cortex. It is never a single color alone, but is the perfect harmony of juxtaposed colors that intensifies the effect."

cerulean blues and yellow ochre or maybe a warm spark triggered by oranges and yellows against ultramarine blues. Combining these complementary pairs with a scheme that also graduates them from one color to the other, or tinting/shading from less intensity to greater intensity further heightens the spark. Not everyone will experience it in the same way, which makes it all the more interesting to me.

For anyone that has been to any of the places you have

shown, women appreciate art more than men, especially

painted, they must realise that you have captured

for the artistic qualities. But I sell a lot of art to men or to

something they would never have felt from a thousand

wives buying a painting their husband loves. The men, in

photos. Share with us some of the feedback you have

many

received from those who are familiar with these places.

manufacturers, etc. and I find that interesting as well. So

Wow. I have never heard it put quite that way. People do

there could be a subconscious connection there between

seem to connect with the feeling of the painting. I

our methodologies that draws their attention.

cases,

are

builders,

plumbers,

architects,

suppose it is like how a memory is warmed over time, the lights becoming warmer, colors more vivid, and the

How did you develop your interest in art?

details are blurred into more of a feeling. I have had some

I have been interested since I was a child, though was

pretty emotional experiences with customers. Some of

often frustrated with finding subject matter. Everything

them were commissions for a loved one, where they were

in the world outside in the south in the U.S. seemed

blindsided by this intense image of a special place. In one

brown and gray- dusty pecan orchards and cotton fields,

case a man was walking by the studio and stopped to look

gray square buildings, brown lakes, brown trees…

in the window, and then started crying. I spent about an

Despite that, I had a great high school art teacher, Peggy

hour talking to him about his past and how it drummed up

Braun, that motivated me and started an advanced

memories for him (In the end I could not bring myself to

placement course for three of us. She pushed us hard, and

tell him that it was not actually the location that he

after many late nights I ended up being the only student

thought it was). It is a special part of art, and for me an

at the end. My interest expanded more at Furman

unexpected positive that comes with selling your art

University, where my professor, Olof Sorensen, shared

professionally.

my affinity for bold colors. I was still a bit frustrated and bored with the colors of the real world around me, but it

Does your art resonate strongest with any particular

was the introduction there to the works of the old

groups?

masters that brought the inspiration I needed. The

I typically find people are first drawn to the intensity of

internet was really taking off in the 1990s and access to

the colors, and then step closer and grasp the style. The

great images of the impressionist and fauvist masters

most interesting realisation was how much men have

who utilized such bright and intense colors made me

connected with it. Typically, at least as studies have

realize that the fields and rocks they were painting were

"People do seem to connect with the feeling of the painting.

I suppose it is like how a memory is warmed over time, the lights becoming warmer, colors more vivid, and the details are blurred into more of a feeling."

no more or less dull than the ones I was looking at. It was

have a specific problem, and would begin with the

me that was being dull. Inspiration today comes from the

brainstorming of the vision for the solution, and then

abundance of art swirling around, in galleries and studios,

move on to the designing of the solution in words and

but more so in social media. There is so much great art at

flowcharts, and then move on to the actual coding

your fingertips, and I love being surprised by the

development of the solution. We knew that we could

explosions in my head that great artists are triggering

rush it together in a week or two, but in following the

with their usage of color.

necessary protocol it would often take 6 months to two years. Much of the process was not exciting because we

From your perspective can you identify ways that your

could not just jump to the finished project to see it in

computing career has influenced your artworks?

action. There were points along the way where we could

The computer science background has helped me most in

see it coming together, but we had to have patience and

vision, planning, and discipline. In my I.T. career we would

trust the process to ensure that the end result would be

"I love being surprised by the explosions in my head that great artists are triggering with their usage of color."

"This deliberate nature of my work reaches to the individual strokes.

When I look at one of my paintings, even after several years, I can see one of the final strokes and recall the deliberation and the reason it is there." correct. This is all exactly the same for me in art. There is a lot of patience and discipline required, because the temptation is always there. The colors on the palette are screaming to be slapped onto the canvas, but while giving in to it would feel great for five minutes, it would be either ruining the painting or sending it down an alternate path that may have no end. This deliberate nature of my work reaches to the individual strokes. When I look at one of my paintings, even after several years, I can see one of the final strokes and recall the deliberation and the reason it is there.

You came back to art after two decades spent building software. How was the transition?

From the beginning I wanted to be an artist, but I was convinced by those around me that it was not the time for me to be attempting an art career, saying plainly that I would be a starving artist and unable to support my family.

So I picked a career that I could hopefully at some point leverage in the future to inch my way into art. At the time I knew absolutely nothing about computers, and found myself surrounded by people who lived and breathed tech.

It was going to be a rough ride. I never really left art, though. It was always there, even if it was drawing on yellow sticky notes in my cubicle at 2am while waiting on a test of a bug fix to complete. I held onto the plan that it would all work out, and art gradually inched its way back in until in 2008 I was officially working two jobs and painting late at night and on weekends. Those days were great days, but also tough. We had a young child, and my wife, Nicole, was also working. Nicole was carrying a pretty large burden

those days. Then we had a second child, and the

You and your wife now live in Clermont-Ferrand,

complexities of life grew more fun, but challenging. It

France with your two children who are also budding

was in 2016 that we heard that Nicole had the

artists. Tell us more about this.

opportunity with her work for us all to move to France.

Yes, I have two beautiful girls that their teachers have

This was the moment we had been waiting for, though

said every year are both talented artists. I say this

we didn’t expect it for several more years. Moving to

because I personally have no real frame of reference

France and transitioning to full time art were two

for how good a 5 or 7 year old is supposed to be. When

dreams converging at once. Though I must admit, it has

we travel these days, it has reached the point that

not all been dreamy. Transitioning to a full time art

people will stop in their tracks and back up to look over

business in a country where you don’t speak the

the girls’ shoulders at their sketches. I cannot take

language has been tricky, and after three years I am still

credit though. They don’t even let me paint with them

learning both the business and French. Some great

anymore, because they say I am too picky and that I am

people have helped, and my wife has been so

always wanting to make their paintings better. Well,

supportive and the perfect partner in the adventure.

yes, exactly.

How has France impacted your art?

The art of France’s past, France’s art today, and France itself as a subject matter for art all make it a pretty ideal place for an artist. It was my wife and her work that made it all possible for us to move. And after much travel around Europe, my wife and I find France still to be the most beautiful. The architecture and natural landscape, and often combination of both, is stunning, and offers an unlimited supply of subject matter. I remember as a child in Georgia walking with my sketchpad down the dirt alley to the muddy pond at the end to sit and draw it (and my brother bringing his gun to sit and shoot the frogs). I realize how fortunate I am now to have this opportunity.

The unique light in Normandy and Provence, the villages with the old bridges lit at night by beautiful lamp posts, the lavender and sunflower and poppy fields, the vineyards, the black stone churches made of volcanic rock, the turquoise waters of the calanques, the clouds scattered above hills quilted with the yellow of rapeseed.

There is so much richness in France that the opportunities for artistic expressions are endless, and I am happy to spend forever chasing them down.

You have been painting for 30 years. When you look

There were literally kids laughing, some screaming, one

back, what are some of the best decisions that you made

even crying by the end of it. I think the teacher was

that got you to where you are today?

accustomed to a more controlled environment, but it

One of the hardest processes as an artist is developing a

made an impact.

recognizable style. Most artists by definition do not want to live by rules, but the business of art mandates that

Any advice for up and coming artists?

artists follow the rule of painting one way so that people

I believe success is an ongoing process and I am nowhere

will recognize and buy your art. I was no different in my

near the end of that journey. I am still striving to come

battle against this premise, but finding a style and the

up with creative ways to break through into new

decision to stick with it allowed me to further develop it,

markets to reach people who may want my art. This

develop more business, and in the end I have been

year, for example, I employed our babysitter, who

fortunate enough thus far to love working in it. This was

speaks at least three languages, to call targeted galleries

driven by advice early on from those wiser than me. The

across Europe to try to tap into those galleries attending

decision to reach out to experts along the way, and trust

exhibitions that I liked. She made contact with one of the

their judgement and guidance, has been invaluable.

top three on my list and I am now working with them.

Success for me was taking advantage of opportunities

Tell us about some of the proudest moments in your

when they arise. The landscape in the art market

career thus far.

changes every few years, and you have to be willing to

I would have to say teaching a lesson on color theory in

adapt to it, figure out where your art will thrive, and act

my 10 year old daughter’s classroom was pretty great. I

on that. Since this is information that is not at your

could see their minds were blown when breaking down

fingertips, you have to be willing to listen a lot to those

the science of a Monet painting, and showing the tricks

in the market, especially when they are talking about

that colors can play on the brain with some color tools.

your work.

What can we expect from you in the future?

Expanding my presence in Europe is my first goal.

I have started working with Arts Evasion Galerie out of Toulouse, and they are doing a great job during these tough times with creative marketing. I look forward to seeing how things progress as the world returns to normal. I also am planning to expand into Spain with another gallery in 2021, and try to push my art into as many exhibitions as possible. As far as my art itself, I understand that the market right now in Europe wants bigger paintings, and for my style the bigger the better, so it will be fun.

Website: www.robbuntin.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/robbuntinart Facebook: www.facebook.com/robbuntinart