We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lance Carlson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lance below.

Alright, Lance thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

In 2011(I was and still am a member of the Atlanta Collage Society) we wanted to create an event to celebrate the 100th birthday of collage as a fine art medium. I love doing extra projects, so I began to think of ways we could make a splash. My original idea was to make representational image of Andy Warhol’s , “Marilyn” and create it out of cupcakes which we’d present at the High Museum in Atlanta, celebrate collage and then eat cake. I got a group of ACS members together and we decided that making the same image out of collage pieces would be better. I agreed and this turned into one of the great group projects that we have undertaken. Over 80 artists from age 7 to 70 participated in the 831 piece project that when assembled created an 8’x8′ image. Our idea was to assemble it on the floor and then reassemble into an abstract piece. We tried to get booked at the HIGH but ended up at the Museum of Design Atlanta, which was located across the street from the HIGH. Attendees would select the 3″x3″ numbered canvas and then place it in like numbered spot. It was an interactive success. I had it assembled /displayed at a gallery in Marietta, GA and she made the rounds to several venues before being purchased by a collector in Sandy Springs, GA

Lance, 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?

I was born into a family of artists and creatives. My mother re-made just about anything she saw in a store (her version, dress/belt/etc) as well as painted pottery, glass, floral arrangements etc. My dad was a painter and sketcher. My older brother was the family “artist” and I remember him teaching me how to draw various cartoon characters. He ended up with an major in Art. I was also creative but had my brother’s footsteps to follow in school. I chose architecture as a career path pretty early on and stuck with it through my profession.

I was always the designated artist for any project that my children had in school or church. I was working on one huge backdrop for a choir performance/tour when an art teacher, Chery Baird, noting my enthusiasm suggested that I take her art courses at a Spruill Arts Education center in Dunwoody, GA. The rest (as they say) is history. I found a lot of freedom in art that was elusive in architecture (due to budgets/schedules/pesky clients).

so my little bio/blurb follows:

Lance Carlson worked as an architect with his own practice for several years in Atlanta, Georgia. He began studying painting, drawing and collage among other creative pursuits in the middle of his architectural career. He loved the freedom and control that avails itself in art which can be elusive in architecture. As he continues to develop skills in 2-dimensional works, he expects to transfer the same ideals into three dimensions and architecture.
He has shown in numerous group shows and venues across Metro Atlanta and the U.S. with solo shows at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College in Clarkston, GA and dk gallery and Kerry Jackson gallery, both in Marietta, GA. His pieces are in many private and corporate collections. He is a founding member of the Atlanta Collage Society and a prime mover in their 2012 Marilyn Project.

and my artist statement:

Throughout recorded history, man has explored the connections between his perceived world of events, emotions, and environment. He has utilized music, art, and literature as a voice of expression. The beauty and rhythms of these connections synchronize and play out over time to form a socio-cultural history for each group and time period.
My work seeks to make personal connections and relationships between music, literature, or pop culture that I have discovered or uncovered. This process may start on a somewhat literal level but soon evolves and transcends to new discoveries and interpretations. My marks, color, imagery, and texture form the rhythm of this dialogue.

That may be a fancy way of saying,” I like to do abstract art, that connects to the viewer through literature/history/pop culture.”

I like to make a connection.

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

I am most rewarded when someone likes my work, or understands what it is that I am trying to make a statement about or how I am connecting with them. Of course its frosting on the cake when they see enough value to purchase a piece for their home/office etc. Art is supposed to be more about self expression but I see it a s reaching out and connecting on some level.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The best thing society can do is to attend art events, and support other artists, if not with their dollars, their enthusiasm for the art where they find it. I have shown in cafes, restaurants. bars, galleries, museums locally and across the country. If you think you cant afford art that you love, you never know what kind of prints or alternate sizes an artist may be willing to offer. I think a picture on Instagram or Facebook acknowledging the artist can be worth as much as a sale. Show the love and if you dislike the art, remain silent.

Contact Info:

• Website: carlsonmixedmedia.com
• Instagram: lance.carlson_artist
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lmikecart/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/lance-m-carlson-aia-leed-ap-4892932
• Twitter: @lcmmartist
• Other: can search art on IG under #lcmmart