1xRun: Tell us a little bit about this piece, is the original still for sale?
Mare139: AirChair is a studio painting on canvas that best illustrates where the B-boy series have been headed since 2013. With this painting I chose to focus on color painting and composition unlike the series of monochromatic paintings I produced in Berlin 2011.
1xRun: Tell us how the idea and execution came about?
Mare139: AirChair came to me when I was watching a street performer hold a similar freeze, his balance and strength impressed me so much I sketched out several variations of him until I found the right interpretation.
1xRUN: What materials were used to create this piece with?
Mare139: Aerosol paint on canvas.
1xRun: When was this piece created and how long did it take to complete?
Mare139: This painting was done in 2013 and took several months to finish.
1xRun: What is unique about this piece?
Mare139: It is the first full color canvas painting in the Bboy series.
1xRun: Why should people buy this print?
Mare139: Its a formative painting that captures where I am headed as a painter. Its also a good entry point into collecting my work from this series.
1xRun: Describe the piece in one gut reaction word.
Mare139: Authentic.
1xRun: You’ve talked about the connection between your visual art and music, how did you begin to explore that connection?
Mare139: It existed all around me in my youth. In the early 70’s as a kid living between West Spanish Harlem and the South Bronx before the term Hip Hop was invented we were immersed in art and music in our community.
1xRun: When did you first begin incorporating music visually into your style or has it always been a key aspect of your work?
Mare139: Music has always been integral to the work I produce, from the days of subway painting when we used to bring transistor radios to the yards and layups or while live painting at park jams. Even in the studio it plays an important role, it’s the hidden medium, the one you don’t see but feel in the process. With big sculpture the music informs big sweeping motions, I think of it like being a composer. With the B boy Abstracts its more like the Boom Bap of break beats or improvised Jazz, it is more impulsive and suggestive, aggressive even. Both practices draw on rhythms for different reasons.
1xRun: Bring us up to speed on how 2013 wrapped up for you?
Mare139: 2013 seems like a blur now. The big break through for me was the larger scale B boy Abstract paintings. The Air Chair painting is the catalyst for the new body of work; it really captures my love both for modernism and the dance form. I had a terrific exhibit in Morocco with Agents of Change at the David Bloch Gallery. The show brought us the Agents of Change to Marrakech where I produced some great metal sculptures inspired by Islamic art.
1xRun: What have you been up now that 2014 is underway?
Mare139: Ive been balancing a career in fine art, commercial art and academics for years so it’s continuing. I recently released a limited edition Silk Scarf with Unruly Gallery that shows another side of my design skills.
1xRun: Any artists that you’ve really been inspired by lately to push yourself?
Mare139: Marc Chagall has become more influential to me as of late. His color usage and compositions move me; you can see it in the AirChair painting.
1xRun: Any big events or shows that you have coming up?
Mare139: I’m taking on fewer shows this year and focusing on a completely modern language for my sculpture work. As well I am going to be releasing smaller metal sculpture editions so I can fund the larger works. In August I will be part of a show in Istanbul Turkey at the Pera Museum.
1xRun: Where else can people find you?
Mare139: Website – M139Design – Instagram @carlosmare – Facebook @carlosmare – Twitter @StyleWarsNYC & @mare139
-1xRUN