Outlook Artist - Brandon Mclean
I personally didn’t know a whole lot about Brandon as an artist until I really started communicating with him through the show. What I personally dig about his work, is that he uses art not as a means to express any particular skill, such as strictly painting, or sketching, but he uses art to question and examine this world and how his life fits into it, which to me specs the core reason behind creativity in general.
People are creative to solve problems, or deal with a question, for some, its just a decision to try and define the purpose of existing or connect with our existence in more meaningful ways.
Its not like every artist was “always an artist”, or some people can’t “appreciate art”, sometimes you just have to make a conscious decision to “appreciate shit around you”, or create some art. There are all types of people in this world who: take things too seriously, don’t understand the purpose of art, don’t appreciate details, and live with an outlook that is incredibly narrow minded.
I think work like Brandon’s opens up minds to recognizable history, and allows people to connect with familiar imagery that isn’t ostentatious in its presentation. Like so much of our visual stimulation that we are forced upon every day through mainstream media (badly designed billboards with fat lawyers, media done with no passion or care, television ads that scream, exposure of gradients made up of horrible color choices; insert all other dumbed-down American media here, etc. etc. etc....). Brandon sometimes uses mainstream media in his creations, but disconnects its purpose very thoughtfully (or entirely on accident - either way its brilliant).
Logos, brands, and printed materials are very ego-centric, all about themselves.... After all, pretty women, nice looking type, well laid out design, and bright colors are meant to draw our attention. Brandon uses these pre-fabricated images in a way that disconnects their ego, and not even to feed one of his own, simply to “see what the hell the outcome may be"… If you think about it, that is bad ass. If you look at his work, you can definitely appreciate the soul in it, and how it all comes together.
So meet Brandon Mclean - (If you don’t know him already)....
Brandon comes to the show from Orlando. He likes sports, wake-skating, and questioning things about everyday life. You may have seen his work recently at the installation entitled “Logos Lore & More” for the Urban Outfitters Artist Window in Ybor City.
Brandon’s work reflects the appropriation of vintage type, recognizable brands, and worn imagery from his efforts in collecting imagery from vintage and modern newspapers, magazines, and any other type of print-media. He is most interested in installations and how art is used to enhance, distort, or simply contribute to the aesthetic of a physical space. His efforts in art creation are not entirely serious. He says he uses art simply to make sense of the “weird and quirky observations” that he has of the world.
When Brandon isn’t creating art, he is building Wake-Skate courses throughout the country.
Learn more about Brandon, and his work at:
His website: Elus1v.com
Write up: TBO - Arts Blog
Flickr: flickr photos
say sum' | (1) comments
On August 01, 2009 Peter said:
I like the article, it defines art and the artist eloquently.
add a lil’ bit of somethin’