As the artsy sibling of our fellow Phoenix New Times blogs, we run into some of the coolest and most talented folks in town. Jackalope Ranch proudly presents "100 Creatives" in honor of Best of Phoenix, which is just a summer away; expect it on newsstands and computer screens near you September 30.
The Creatives are the cultured superheroes -- and heroines -- of metropolitan Phoenix. Have a suggestion for someone you'd like to see? Leave it in the comment section. Maybe we'll convince your favorite Creative to do a fly-by with us.
99: Brian Boner
Boner is a Phoenix painter. Here's what he has to say about his work:
"There is a delicate union between the things that we can control and the random events of the world in which we live. As humans, we have a dependence on control, yet are forced to comply with the random occurrences in the world around us. This period of adjustment and acceptance is a core theme throughout my work. The majority of my paintings also address memory and the vital impact it has on our lives. Without memory, we have no foundation, no point of reference from which to learn and grow. The ability to retain and recall events is one of the essential elements of being human. It is what builds us into the people we are."
List five things on your Inspiration Wall (real or imagined).
a. nostalgia (in any form)
b. Igor Melnikov, Lucian Freud, Jenny Seville, Jackson Pollock, Joel Witkin, Jerome Witkin, and many others
c. humility
d. hubris. the unconditional love and support of great friends and family (when you're a working artist, sometimes it's all you have)
What's your last big project?
An Exhibition at the MonOrchid in Downtown Phoenix over Art Detour (March 2010). It really gave me the opportunity to work bigger than I usually do. The space is so whimsically industrial. I felt the work was really complemented by the environment, and vice versa.
What's your next big project?
I am currently working on a series of paintings related to the some of the work shown at MonOrchid. It's got a very raw feel to it, and I am still working on trying to preserve some untouched sections of canvas. The subject matter is very nostalgic, and continues to reference personal experience and memory.
...I see this new 'Raw Canvas' series as a memory in progress. It is frozen and captured in frame, revealing only the most crucial and important details of an experience. Heavily painted areas coexist with raw, undeveloped sections of canvas to create a partial narrative. They are what has happened and what is happening, and they beg of the viewer to finish the story. They are simply meant to be process and progress quietly seen, and curiously observed.
How much do you hate being asked what your next big project is?
I always enjoy talking about my work, although, I have to say that discussing upcoming projects and ideas doesn't necessarily mean those projects will be realized. I have a great many things I've started (some a few years old), that I've had to put on the back burner for one reason or another.
What's something you want Phoenix to know about you? (And, if you're
game, what's something you really don't want Phoenix to know about
you?)
Something to know about me: I take almost every Sunday off in the fall to watch football on TV. My father was a college football coach, and I grew up living and breathing the game. I knew every NFL team by the age of 6. If you ever have time (or the interest), I can tell you why life imitates, and can be rationalized through, the rules and strategies of the game of football.
Something "not" to know: I've cried during almost any decent movie that involved a dog dying or a fictional or non-fictional sports figure overcoming ridiculous odds. I think Old Yeller should've lived!
The Creatives, so far:
