We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brantly Sheffield a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Brantly with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
My work ethic comes from modeling myself after mentors, artists, and artworks that I like. I went to art school to be held accountable and learn techniques that would lead to a skill set that I acquired through repetition to the point it became a habit. For instance, drawing everyday using various techniques with a variety of tools in different classes under different instructors providing sometimes contradictory advice that I was responsible for sifting through. Eventually the instruction faded and became a reflective guide and “assignments” turned into bodies of work that was made within my studio practice.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My last body of work featured characters from my life. I believe we are defined by the company we keep, and my sense of self is very much wrapped up in the communities, people, places, and things I interact with. I strike a balance between extremely personal narratives around each figure and the universal sense of familial bonds that painting activates. I use drawing to add a contorted aspect to the figure that makes it both indicative of personality as well as create a sense of familiarity that feels as though they are known people. The figures are aware, and in most cases strike a pose in response to compositional situations. It’s kind of like responding when someone tells you to “smile” or is staring at you. It is an invitation to interact with the painting. They almost force you to play a role in their narrative through the figure’s reactive nature.
More recently I have moved back into my drawing practice in preparation for new paintings. The drawings span from high horizon grassy landscapes of golf courses to still life objects. My drawings tend to be water color, marker and colored pencil that act as reference for paintings.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Drawing is probably the most important skill I have developed over time. Drawing is the backbone of my studio practice, it leads my paintings, and allows me to solve issues of contortion, space, color and pattern. I think drawing from life or direct observation is the best way to learn to see through a contour line. That contour line is basis for everything I make.
Looking at stuff (mostly art). I look at and read about A LOT of stuff (mostly art). Studying for art history exams, reading books and writing papers for literature and philosophy classes, frequenting museums, and galleries prepared me for and showed me how to continue my research for my studio practice. Essentially I became a forever student.
The biggest thing is repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, Repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, and repetition.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
It’s not really a who, but the Cedars Union Incubator for the Arts in Dallas Texas has been the most help organization to me because of their studio artist program. Their studio art program is an 18 month studio residency. This program helped me build my community within the Dallas art scene, It helped me meet curators, patrons, and other artists, but most importantly it gave me time and space to make my work. The Cedars Union was a contributing factor in gaining gallery representation, and because of the connections I made while in residence I was able to acquire studio space in the Tin District, which is a little neighborhood in West Dallas where a lot of art happens. The Cedars Union is a great organization that is operated by even better people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brantlysheffield.com/
- Instagram: @brantly_sheffield
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- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvBg4JoIsTk
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Image Credits
Teresa Rafidi
