We recently connected with Andrew Faulkner and have shared our conversation below.

Andrew, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

My college degree is in Fine arts but it wasn’t until I was in my 50’s that I closed my design business to become a full time artist. I like to say that after 30 years of success in the graphic design field, I decided to get a real job and become a painter.

Andrew, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As a child, I celebrated coloring outside the lines. Those loose imperfect marks define my gestural painting style to this day. Born into a family of artists, designers, and architects, my paintings fuse the structural sensibilities of my architect father and the often riotous color sense of my interior designer mother.

I studied painting at Trinity College with colorist George Chapman who was a student of Joseph Albers and learned the art of defining space with color and value. I now paint in a large light-filled studio in Sausalito, CA and I use rich colors in my contemporary paintings to express a dramatic sense of light and space.

One of my biggest challenges is staying focused. There are so many subjects and styles that I want to explore, sometimes I need to stay “in one lane” for a bit. Currently my focus is on abstract landscapes and architectural interiors, my art is influenced by the vibrant colors of my Northern California surroundings. Many of my landscapes use what I call an “invented color space” where color breaks up the composition, achieving a sense of depth and atmosphere that can be open to the interpretation of the viewer.

I draw inspiration from hiking the dramatic trails of Marin County where I live. My wife, Amy is a naturalist and takes me to all the secret spots where I use my phone as a sort of “sketchbook” to bring back to the studio for reference. I and also 10 minutes north of San Francisco were I and often found at one of our world class art museums. There’s no question that looking at art makes me want to make art. If painting were religion, I would be praying to the saints: Matisse, Diebenkorn and Hockney.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

I have minted just one NFT without much success. I wanted to see what that process would look like and I knew at the time that just minting an NFT does not mean that anyone will actually see it. You need to bring people there and establish a reputation as someone people want to buy from. I think interest in NFTs seems to be waning but I’m not counting it out completely. Sadly, the NFT scams on Instagram are flourishing which is not helping things.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I feel fortunate to be doing what I love and connecting with art lovers and collectors in all different ways. Much of my success is due to the 100+ professional artist that work in the ICB Studio building in Sausalito where my art studio is located. This is an organized and friendly group that believes in shared success and resources. There is an energetic vibe in the building with a sense of community and tons of encouragement! We have two large open studios events a year where several hundred visitors come through over one weekend. Often there are sales but more importantly, people connecting with my work and telling me how it makes them feel. This is an artist’s dream.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.andrew-faulkner.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew_faulkner_art/
• Other: PRINTS: https://www.afprints.com

Image Credits
Only one needs a credit. Please credit jpeg labeled “AndrewPortraitLR” to Margot Hartford