Adam Caldwell Returns With 2 New Prints

1xRun Thru Interview
Theory of Forms + Unity of The Mind by Adam Caldwell

1xRUN: Tell us a little bit about these two pieces, when were they created and with what materials?
Adam Caldwell: Both of these pieces are oil on canvas. I first draw my ideas in pencil on paper and then make photo-collages in Photoshop to use as reference for a traditional oil painting. My paintings and drawings juxtapose elements of abstract expressionism and classical figuration. Both of these pieces were finished in June of 2012.

1xRun: Tell us how the idea and execution came about?    
Adam Caldwell:   These paintings are centered on the idea that the mind and body are separate things. In the west there has been a traditional boundary between the physical and the mental. This division is seen in Christianity as the separation of body and spirit and has profound implications for how we perceive the self and the world. The body is seen as shameful and Nature is fallen from grace while the mind or spirit exists in a state of potential purity and perfection. In philosophy Descartes famously defended the idea of dualism. I wanted to examine these ideas and show how badly they have affected our culture, influencing everything from legal decisions about responsibility, the destruction of the environment, to our very concept of identity. I also intend this show to be a critique of technology and its deteriorating effects on the notion of self.

In the paintings pieces of history, broken and abandoned buildings, isolated figures, lines of text about dualism, advertising, and machinery all collide. The space and scale of the paintings are broken up. The light can come from multiple sources. These elements convey the flickering, fragmented world we have inherited and symbolize the life that exists within the context of a split between the mind and the body, between the self and the rest of nature.

1xRun: How long did the piece take?    
Adam Caldwell:  Each piece took about 2 weeks.

1xRun: What is unique about these two pieces?     
Adam Caldwell:  They are both pieces with beautiful women and are actually about something.    

1xRun: Why should people buy these prints?    
Adam Caldwell:   To show off to their friends.

1xRun: Describe these pieces in one gut reaction word.     
Adam Caldwell:   spasmodic.

Theory of Forms + Unity Of The Mind by Adam Caldweel

1xRun: When did you first start making art?
Adam Caldwell: Since I could hold a pencil.

1xRun: What was your first piece?
Adam Caldwell:first recognizable drawing was of Captain Hook at age three or four.

BRING ME PETER PAN!

1xRun: What artists inspired you early on?
Adam Caldwell:  Mad Magazine,  Andrew Wyeth, All the Marvel comics artists, moebius & Rodin.

Auguste Rodin

1xRun: What artists inspire you now?
Adam Caldwell: James Jean, Neo-Rauch, Justin Mortimer, Gerhard Richter, Barron Storey & David Choong Lee

Justin Mortimer

1xRun: Do you listen to music while you work? If so what? If not then what is your environment like when you work?
Adam Caldwell: Almost any music. Been listening to Foxy Shazam, Kate Bush, Battles, Classical, Queen.

1xRun: If you could collaborate with any living artist who would it be and why?
Adam Caldwell: I would collaborate with Christo and have him use my huge painted canvases to wrap up something.

Adam Caldwell In His Studio

1xRun:If you could collaborate with any deceased artists who would it be and why?
Adam Caldwell: I would collaborate with Vermeer to see how the hell he could paint like that.

1xRun: What else do you have in the works currently?
Adam Caldwell:  My solo show at The Shooting Gallery in San Francisco on Nov 10th titled “Empty Room” It features ten new large paintings. Including two huge triptychs.

1xRun:Where can people find you?
Adam Caldwell: WebsiteBlog

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