Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Grant.
Hi Andrew, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I loved art as a child and sketched throughout my teenage years however, it didn’t become a serious pursuit until I was about 26 years old. I didn’t take any formal classes in art until about four years after graduating college and they were at a local nonprofit art school called Crealde School of Art in Winter Park, FL. The school introduced me to the basics and I also met my first art teacher, Terry Norris. Eventually, I felt I needed more consistent and rigorous instruction, which led me to study with my second art teacher, Carol Broman.
I relocated to Ft. Myers for about five months to study with her full-time and it was during this time I found a logical way to approach drawing and painting that serves me till this day. I relocated back to Orlando and continued to practice what I learned with Carol and continued attending life drawing classes at Crealde. The turning point in my work was when I became clear on what my subject matter would be and how I wanted to present it to a larger audience. Keeping a relationship with Crealde over the years led to my first solo show hosted by the school in 2019. The promotional material sent out by school led to me being contacted by one of the curators of the Appleton Museum of Art located in Ocala, FL. This led to an invite for me to have another solo showing with the museum in July 2021.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A lot of things in life worth having doesn’t come easy and this definitely applies to art as well. Once you reach a certain level of proficiency in the craft of painting and drawing, you see smaller and smaller steps in progression as you continue to learn. It’s usually not until you review your work at the end each year to see what you’ve improved on. I think only then you can give yourself a fair critique. With social media as a way to share your work with fans and collectors, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd but I found that quality art usually finds its way to the front of the pack. My focus mainly quality over quantity and this has helped me keep producing at a high level.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My main mediums are oil paint, graphite and charcoal. I paint in what you could consider the realist or representational tradition, meaning you can identify clearly what the subjects are in each piece. I primarily paint women of the African diaspora and use the four elements, earth, air, fire and water to create work with subtle symbolism and narrative. I strive to make my art otherworldly in some pieces and this keeps the entire process interesting for me. Women have been a strong motivation most of my life and hopefully, my work reflects that in a positive way. Being authentic to myself is what sets me apart and I believe every artist is unique by default. In my opinion, the further you look within to express yourself, the more obvious this difference becomes.
How do you think about luck?
In my art training and business, I’ve taken advantage of opportunities and have missed opportunities. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet generous people in and outside of art that were instrumental to my development. Whether they offered a word of encouragement, shared, my worked, or even lended advice. All of that has led to where I’m at right now and I probably wouldn’t change any of it if I could.
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@andrewmgrant.com
- Website: andrewmgrant.com
- Instagram: andrewmgrant_
- Facebook: Andrew M Grant
