Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chris Trueman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Chris , thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.
I think generosity is very important in the art world. When I was first getting started, after high school but before heading to the San Francisco Art Institute I was recommended for a show in a restaurant in Sacramento by a painting instructor of mine. I was around 18 years old and I sold enough work out of the show to take off and travel Europe for four months. It was a life-changing experience. While at SFAI I met a woman who would become a very significant collector and patron and who would later pay for my grad school at Claremont Graduate University. After graduating from CGU, I was helped into my first teaching position by a friend, mentor and fellow painter. The majority of galleries that represent me now came from recommendations from friends. These were a handful of the opportunities that have come my way through the generosity of others. As a result, I think it is important for me to pay my debts by helping others. I’ve helped many of my peers to find opportunities and have mentored a number of young artists myself. I teach at Chaffey College and I love to have an impact on the young artists that come through my classes.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am an artist, primarily an abstract painter and educator who exhibits my work broadly both domestically and abroad. Recently I was invited to participate and attend the first iteration of the Artix Art Fair in Dehli, India with Arushi Gallery and I am currently featured at TWFineArt in Australia. Coming up I have a painting in the upcoming abstract painting show at the Torrence Art Museum.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Be social – Looking back I would explain to someone just starting out that art is a social practice, they need to show up, go to the shows, support their fellow artists, be involved in the art community. It isn’t about being a studio rat and just making the work, much of your opportunity will come through your network.
Be practical- There is a very practical side of art that is persistent despite being wished away. Many young artists and especially students put themselves into unsustainable financial positions where they are unable to devote enough time to their studio because they need to work other jobs in order to pay for their studio in the first place. Building a sustainable art career takes time. In hindsight, having been out of grad school for 14 years, I watched some of my peers get great opportunities and have success right off the bat only to see them slowly fade as inconsistency in the market or the gallery that provided the opportunity closed down. On the other hand there are some of my peers that year after year continued to make work and build their practice that are just now after a decade finding success. Make sure to set yourself up in a situation that is doable in the long run.
Be tenacious – It takes a lot of drive and hard work to be an artist, often without external validation. You have to start by doing the work ahead of time, you aren’t going to get your first show on the speculation that you can make a great show in the future. Galleries are taking on a lot of risk by exhibiting a new artist and they often will take a loss on the first show, banking on the long term interest in the artists work. Sometimes artists forget that a gallery might be paying large sums of money to do your show and they need to feel confident in the work and that the artist is in it for the long game.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My path in art was a bit unusual. Right as I was preparing to go to the San Francisco Art Institute for my BFA, my father started a career change which meant that there would be no financial support coming from my parents. They offered tremendous support for me emotionally and morally, but financially I was on my own. I knew that I had to get scholarships and grants to attend school so I worked super hard to make that happen and I was able to put myself through SFAI with scholarships, grants and minimal student loans. What my parents did was provide me with a fallback and moral support. I knew at any point if it became too challenging that I could go back to my hometown, Chico and go to school there. I knew it was my choice to live in San Francisco and to go to art school and that while I was encouraged to chase my dreams that it was up to me to figure out how to make that possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.christrueman.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truemanchris/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trueman.chris/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ctrueman/
Image Credits
Photo courtesy of Chris Param, Page Art Projects and Chris Trueman
