Chris Leib

 

Why are you an Artist?

 

 My father is an incredible artist, and I am very competitive. But it also  became like an addiction. Once I started, I never wanted to do anything  else. In college I studied anthropology and thought about applying to grad  school, but I got hired as an artist by a local company. From then on I   rejected all notions that I was supposed to do anything else. It is just  something I have to do. I don't like to be away from painting, even for a  few days. 

 

Tell us more about your paintings?

 

I got into tech art in the early 90s, but it lacked the sensuality of  painting. At first I was an adherent of Reconstructionism, deconstructing  and then reconstructing culturally significant forms. It appealed to me  because I had a visceral reaction to all the conceptual art that was going  on at that time. But eventually I found working beneath a label very  constraining. Over the last couple of years I've returned to fundamental  painting. My current pieces are still lifes and figures, they examine the  contrivance behind the genre. So I guess there is a nod to theory. 

 

Is the subject important to you or do you simply paint to express  yourself?

 The subject is important to anyone doing realist work. In both what I am  drawn to portray and the message I want to convey, the subject plays a vital  role. Usually I'm drawn to worn or broken subjects because they bear the  evidence of their existence, epistemological and often anthropological  evidence. But I think these two issues, subject and self-expression, are intertwined  for any realist painter. What choices I make in subject, how I paint it, the  lighting, the mood, these are all expressions of the self. "It is not what  you paint but how you paint it" is true, but I cannot say that what I am  drawn to paint is not influenced by my methods of painting; I cannot say  whether my methods have predisposed me to certain subjects. I think they  have evolved together. So I can only answer this by saying that subject and  expression are interconnected. 

 

What artists have influenced you and how?

 

 Many of the old masters, Rembrandt and Breugal, especially. Rembrandt for  many reasons, but especially the surface quality of his works ..and his  light, of course. A painter should be influenced by him, whether he/she is a  realist or abstract painter. His greatest works are the perfect synthesis of  opposites, static detail amidst chaos, color amidst dullness, struggle known  only by it's juxtaposition to ease. When I saw his painting "Jewish Bride,"  I felt it was the greatest painting ever done. It had everything. But there is also Ribera, Da Vinci, Van Eyck, Ingres, Dutch Icon painters..  the list is long. I am also a great fan of Andrew Wyeth. I love his  compostions and the quietness in his work. It is also odd for me to say this  but Cezanne's notions of perspective have been very influential, though my  use of them is obviously much more tempered. 

What inspires you to paint and how do you keep motivated?

 

 When the work fights with me, I know I am on to a good piece then. I just  have to solve the problem, I can't let it go until I've turned it into  something worthwhile. When it starts off with a struggle I become even more  determined to turn it around and make it the best piece yet. When I'm not feeling motivated, I've learned to not worry about it.  Inspiration usually comes when you stop putting all your thoughts and energy  into searching for it. Having a lot to work on at any time also helps. Something always needs to  get done. Since I work in the old traditions, each piece takes some time, I  need to have a lot of pieces going at once, otherwise I'm just watching  paint dry. 

 

How have you handled the business side of being an artist?

 

 I had a number of problems when I started out, but it gave me the  opportunity to learn a great deal about contracts and law. Now I'm very  careful. I came to realize that you have to be on top of as much as you can,  but not obsess over the small stuff. I also appreciate my clients, I don't take them for granted. Because art is  such a personal thing, you can really form some great business and client  relationships, that are far more special than if you were selling, say,  tires. 

 

What advice would you give an artist just starting out?

 

 Unless you really love this and feel compelled to do this, don't go into it.  If you do, take the time to explore and learn.  Keep your life simple, so  you can spend most of your time developing your art. 

 

What do you do for fun (besides painting?

 

 Draw.