Drew Griffiths is an abstract painter from Atlantic City. Taking early inspiration from comics and their blend of intense colors to amp up the story’s emotional content, he also began working in the visual arts.
How did you get into art?
I started my career as a visual artist late in life, although I was creative from a young age with words, theater, collage, and much more. In my twenties, I began experimenting with abstract paintings while huddled in the corner of my dorm room pursuing an art degree in creative writing. At that point, I fell in love with texture and movement and began to develop my style with encaustic and later sculptural paintings made of paper and spray paint.
How would you describe your style? What makes your art special?
I have built my style on the fundamental belief that color and texture communicate instantly with the subconscious because it is a universal language we all share from an early age. I use simple materials, paper and wood, to create complex textures that balance on the edge between textural and delicate to show the fragility and resilience of the human condition, along with a color palette that speaks across generations to give emotional weight to the viewer. In recent years I have pioneered this style and continue to blur the lines between sculpture, painting and mixed media to create an entirely new language.
How do you go about developing your work?
I am looking for new ways to use the basic elements of color and texture to convey depth of emotion and to stimulate a conversation between the work and the viewer. Each work begins with an idea and a desire to express something beyond the written vocabulary. Then each color is composed to fit that conversation, and the process of sculpting begins. As I fold, twist and control the paper, the dialogue and communication grows, and then layers of color are applied to enhance the subtle beauty of the materials.
Who or what influences you?
The influences on my work are varied and come from many sources, including the natural world and the technological and industrial changes in our lives. I draw inspiration from other artists, including Rothko, Duchamp, Jasper Johns, Motherwell, Rauschenberg and other masters.
What are you planning to do next?
How further? How far can an artist go with the medium? Does he need the canvas to create a painting? Can the paper and the form floating in the air be a painting? How far can a single sheet of paper be taken before it can no longer contain and control the form? My most recent work continues to push the boundaries of structure and stability to show how delicate our balance is with nature, life and our world.
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