Today we’d like to introduce you to Ray Beldner.

Hi Ray, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

I’m an artist, born, raised and educated in San Francisco.

I’ve made my art career in the Bay Area, where I’ve also settled down and raised two kids. That’s the overview. In between those two things, I have worked in construction, taught in art colleges and in universities for 20 years, worked as an art appraiser, and managed a contemporary art collection for 16 years.

In 2015 I started a hotel art fair for independent artist called Starup Art Fair. In 2020, covid shut us down, but we’re coming back this year in April with our first fair in San Francisco since the pandemic.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

Well, nothing‘s ever a smooth road.

I had a lot of initial success in my art career early on, showing in galleries and museums. Raising my kids, made it harder to sustain the same level of commitment to my career, but it was OK by me, since I was doing what I thought was more important work.

As they got older and more dependent, I had to pick up the pieces of my career and pretty much start over. At the same time, I started my art fair, which I enjoyed immensely, but it also took a lot of time away from my studio practice. So I guess you could say it’s been a constant struggle for me of trying to maintain an art career, and build a business.

The fair, however, has been a wonderful opportunity for me to reconnect with my community, and to do what I really like best, which is to help other artists. When covid made it impossible to continue the fairs, I had to pivot the business away from in-person events to online ventures and smaller pop-up exhibitions. It was only until recently that I saw the opportunity to start up the fairs again, and I’m enjoying the challenge of rebuilding the business. With the benefit of my 5 year hiatus, I have been able to make changes that are improving the business.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

Early in my art career, I made mostly conceptual artworks. That is, the ideas proceeded the objects. Each idea steered the work into a different realm with different materials, different scale, different imagery.

As I mentioned earlier, there was a break in my career as I raised my family, and when I came back more full-time into my art practice, I started working completely differently, using collage as my primary medium. Instead of having an idea and then going out and finding the materials to make it, I start with the material and see where it leads me.

My work now is much more playful, colorful, abstract, and I make it in a more intuitive and instinctive way. I don’t start out knowing what it’s going to be, but I let it guide me to its logical conclusion. I find this way of working incredibly freeing and exhilarating, kind of like walking a tight rope every day, not knowing if you’re gonna fall off or get to the other side!

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?

Recently, I read a book by Rick Rubin called the “Creative Act” and I found it to be both compelling and reassuring, because in it, he describes very accurately what the creative act is like and what a creative life is. I can’t say it’s a book that has inspired me, but it is a book that has reassured me that what I do is very much in keeping with what many creatives do and that the creative act itself is a radical and important part of our society.

As far as apps or programs go, as an artist, I love and swear by Artwork Archive, which has been an incredibly important tool to organize my artwork and to help me in my art practice. That and Photoshop are invaluable to me!

Other than that, while I’m working, I listen to a bunch of different podcasts that keep my spirits up and allow me to enjoy what I’m doing in the studio. I used to listen to a lot of news and political podcasts, but these days my go to podcasts are comedy ones: “SmartLess” and “Fly on the Wall.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.raybeldner.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raybeldner/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raybeldner/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-beldner-9229a42/