In his article for Fast Company, art critic Hugh Hart declares that the Clayton Brothers master “Their specialty: drawing on seemingly mundane sources of inspiration to craft color-blasted paintings charged with manic energy and impish humor.”
Including an extensive interview with the artist duo, the article expounds on the influences and process for the brothers’ current solo exhibition at the gallery. Hart delves into how their collaboration affects their respective art-making practices:
For Open to the Public and other joint projects, the brothers give each other free rein to erase, paint over, or otherwise alter any art piece in progress. To create “This Is Not a Man With a Pipe,” Christian drew the face and Rob later added the pipe. “I did a drawing of the man’s face in the shape of the pinched pot because we’d been admiring the shapes of these clay pots at the store,” Christian recalls. “After we saw some Magritte prints at the store, Rob decided to put a pipe in the man’s mouth and that’s when the piece came full circle.”
Rob elaborates, “At the studio we don’t say, ‘This is mine, that’s yours.’ We refer to the drawings that haven’t made it into the process yet as carcasses. If a painting sits around for a while, one of us will usually grab it all of a sudden and change it in some way. It’s a constant give and take.” Christian adds, “When do get into a heated spot with a piece, we know each other well enough to let things stew. I guess it’s worked out pretty well,” he laughs. “So far we haven’t killed each other.”
We thank Hugh for his insightful article on the Clayton Brothers. “Open to the Public remains on view through September 27, 2014.
Mark Moore Fine Art Blog 