We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dennis Bredow a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dennis, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Most artists I know were interested in art from a young age. It was no different for me. I remember getting drawing books in elementary school and working my way through each one of them. I was the cartoonist for my Junior High School newspaper, and I distinctly recall drawing in my sketchbook on a family road trip while my family dealt with the fumes from my alcohol based markers.

But it wasn’t until 9th grade that I really considered art as a viable profession. My High School art teacher was W. Rock Newcomb – a professional and masterful artist who really had no business teaching High School art (though I’m grateful he did). His work was unlike anything I had seen, and his understanding and emphasis on fundamentals was the most significant training I had ever received. He was the one that showed me that I could be an artist for a living.

Once that clicked, I never really considered anything else.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

When I was studying art in college, artists were divided into two camps; fine artists and commercial artists. The first group was going to make art, and the second group was going to make a living. I was firmly in the second camp. I wanted set rules, clear boundaries, and a paycheck.

Through college (and afterward) I worked in advertising as a graphic designer and illustrator. I had worked in the industry during the more traditional ‘paste-up’ era but was also able to learn foundational tools like Photoshop and Illustrator. Working in a small shop allowed me to do a little bit of everything and gave me a broad foundation in both artistic and technical skills.

This broad skill set landed me a job in an art department for an animation and visual effects company, where I spent a number of years working as a designer and concept artist. This industry gave me proximity to new and more technical aspects of painting, and by 1996 I was working as a technical artist, surfacing 3D models for use in visual effects and animated films.

In an ironic twist, 30 years post-college I am a galleried fine artist. My work in both advertising and visual effects surfacing are clearly represented in my work through strong graphic elements, clear advertising influences, and heavily textured surfaces. While I rely heavily on the foundational principles of design and illustration, my understanding and respect for fine art as it’s own necessary genre has completely changed.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I think at it’s core my artistic mission is primarily one of curiosity. I want to explore or express certain ideas; viewing the West or post-war America through a more contemporary lens. I want to attempt certain methods; textures, surfaces, and finishes. The truth is, I’m probably more curious than anyone else to see the result. Sometimes I end up where I intended and sometimes I’m completely surprised.

I have a finite number of paintings I can create in my lifetime. My goal is to refine my ideas and my execution as much as possible because I’m curious to see where that process takes my work.

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

While there are certainly moments of creating that are repetitive or mundane, perhaps the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the inevitable moments where the finished work surprises me. I have looked at finished pieces without recalling how I achieved them – almost as if I had not been present during it’s execution. There are times when the effectiveness or potency of the message takes me by surprise.

These are the moments you live for as an artist. The moment where the preparation, ideation, and execution come together to create something greater than the sum of it’s parts.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://theartmob.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennis.bredow.art/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennisbredow/

Image Credits
Dennis Bredow