ROB BUNTIN
DESTIG TORONTO - ART | DESIGN | TRAVEL - ISSUE 09 / JANUARY 2021
BEST OF 2020 | TODAY'S GREAT CANADIAN ARTISTS | SPECIAL ART FEATURES | HOT PICKS
"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."
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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