Ironically, what I didn't know going into this Lunchtime Lecture is what I knew.
Art can be funny that way. It can sneak into the corridors of memory and hide in the corners of the mind, and we don't know it's there until something finally hooks it and brings a forgotten image, a recognition, to the surface. Upon seeing Richmond artist, Ed Trask's presentation I had one of those fine "lightbulb" moments, and I was ecstatic to finally make the connection between art and artist. Before then, I had only really looked at his murals as icons and landmarks of the city I've grown up in on in off in my life. I suppose I never truly thought about the artist behind the paintbrush because I have always associated the vibrant murals as integral parts of the community--belonging to a place rather than a person.
Trask grew up in an ambitious, academic family. However, he chose to take the road less traveled and follow his passion for art, so he attended VCU as an art student. Though it wasn't the normal Ivy League way that many members of his family chose, his parents saw his talent and supported his decision. After graduating from VCU, galleries would not show Trask's artwork. For this reason, he decided he would take matters into his own hands and paint on run-down buildings around the city. On his first endeavor, he dressed up in painter's overalls and set to work on a large portrait. Everyone assumed that he had permission to be painting, so no one questioned him. Trask told us that after he completed the work a man walking the street stopped and looked at it for a long while. He recounted how happy he was feeling to have someone admiring his work when the man said "This sucks," and walked away. Was this the end of Trask? Certainly not. If anything, this moment ignited the fire in his belly. Since then, he's been sneaking around painting wherever he felt needed the boost. He's been drawing attention to the abandoned and overlooked not only in Richmond but around the world. For Trask, it's all about starting a creative conversation and evoking a response--good or bad. I really admire that.
In the end, I feel I took a lot a way from this lecture. It was nice to hear commentary from an artist who is also a musician. Recently, I've been seeing many connections and similarities between the elements and principles of art and music. When you are both artist and musician it is difficult to separate the two crafts. I could understand what Trask meant when he spoke about capturing visual memories, sketches and rhythms. He told us not to take for granted all the visual inspiration that surrounds us, and claimed he was often drawn to certain scenes and settings based off of curious sounds and beats he heard there.
Trask keeps busy to say the least--traveling to foreign countries and painting historical murals, developing paint-by-number scenes for school walls, and organizing RVA street art festivals. He makes a point to give back to the community whenever he can. Why not use you gifts to help others? Choosing the artist path is not a choice to be chosen lightly. In essence, in the art world you reap what you sow, and creativity can be hard work--hard work-- but ultimately satisfying work if you are willing to make it happen.
"Take a minute to take a moment,"
Ed Trask
Art can be funny that way. It can sneak into the corridors of memory and hide in the corners of the mind, and we don't know it's there until something finally hooks it and brings a forgotten image, a recognition, to the surface. Upon seeing Richmond artist, Ed Trask's presentation I had one of those fine "lightbulb" moments, and I was ecstatic to finally make the connection between art and artist. Before then, I had only really looked at his murals as icons and landmarks of the city I've grown up in on in off in my life. I suppose I never truly thought about the artist behind the paintbrush because I have always associated the vibrant murals as integral parts of the community--belonging to a place rather than a person.
Trask grew up in an ambitious, academic family. However, he chose to take the road less traveled and follow his passion for art, so he attended VCU as an art student. Though it wasn't the normal Ivy League way that many members of his family chose, his parents saw his talent and supported his decision. After graduating from VCU, galleries would not show Trask's artwork. For this reason, he decided he would take matters into his own hands and paint on run-down buildings around the city. On his first endeavor, he dressed up in painter's overalls and set to work on a large portrait. Everyone assumed that he had permission to be painting, so no one questioned him. Trask told us that after he completed the work a man walking the street stopped and looked at it for a long while. He recounted how happy he was feeling to have someone admiring his work when the man said "This sucks," and walked away. Was this the end of Trask? Certainly not. If anything, this moment ignited the fire in his belly. Since then, he's been sneaking around painting wherever he felt needed the boost. He's been drawing attention to the abandoned and overlooked not only in Richmond but around the world. For Trask, it's all about starting a creative conversation and evoking a response--good or bad. I really admire that.
In the end, I feel I took a lot a way from this lecture. It was nice to hear commentary from an artist who is also a musician. Recently, I've been seeing many connections and similarities between the elements and principles of art and music. When you are both artist and musician it is difficult to separate the two crafts. I could understand what Trask meant when he spoke about capturing visual memories, sketches and rhythms. He told us not to take for granted all the visual inspiration that surrounds us, and claimed he was often drawn to certain scenes and settings based off of curious sounds and beats he heard there.
Trask keeps busy to say the least--traveling to foreign countries and painting historical murals, developing paint-by-number scenes for school walls, and organizing RVA street art festivals. He makes a point to give back to the community whenever he can. Why not use you gifts to help others? Choosing the artist path is not a choice to be chosen lightly. In essence, in the art world you reap what you sow, and creativity can be hard work--hard work-- but ultimately satisfying work if you are willing to make it happen.
"Take a minute to take a moment,"
Ed Trask
