Photograph by Thomas Crone
Located in a handsome storefront just east of Jefferson on Cherokee, Danielle Fuhrman’s Drew Henry salon&gallery is found the heart of St. Louis’ burgeoning, organic arts district. She’s been pushing the “gallery” half of her business of late and a friend, the painter Matt Grant, will be the next artist to show at her space, with a solo show slated for public opening on Friday, January 17, from 7-10 p.m.
Grant reports that show is called “‘Back and Forth, Forever’ or ))><(( and it's essentially based on an extended conversation with someone and the various emotions and reactions that arise therein. I chose faces as my subject matter, because I believe they're relatable to everyone and at the same time ambiguous enough to provoke multiple interpretations for the viewer. Each series is similar but no two are exactly the same.”
An ever-ebullient, mixed-media artist, Grant is a student at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, majoring in studio art. He has shown at 2720 Cherokee, The Firebird, Atomic Cowboy, The Virginia House, CLR MNSTR and in association with Iron Age and Art Crank. His work has been published in the book Drawgasmic, and he has done multiple murals for The Firebird.
We caught up with the sneaker fan at his small studio, on the first floor of a tidy, Grove neighborhood townhouse that he shares with two roommates and one cheerful dog. Afterwards, we sent Grant the same seven questions that we’ll share with local artists every-other-Thursday. The responses follow.
Art school? Self-taught? Some variety of both? Or none of the above?
Most definitely a variety of both—I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. The first drawing I ever remember spending a lot of time on was a portrait of Alf, if that means anything. I’ve just always had a very active interest in making and viewing art. In high school, I took every art class that was available to me, which was when I discovered my love for painting. After I graduated, I took some time off from making art in the classroom and spent a few years developing my style and studying art history. During this time I emulated (copied) other artists and explored different mediums trying to find the right fit. After a while I just kind of copped out and went to art school, which has always felt like a blessing and a curse. On one hand, your homework is sketching, and your final exam is a critique of your body of work from that semester, which comparatively is cool in regards to normal classes. On the other, drawing the same still lifes and the same five models for several years certainly sucks creatively. There are times when I produce more at home than I do at school, and there are times when it’s the exact opposite of that. I’d say art school is somewhat of a necessary evil. But if you don’t have to, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Regarding your creative habits, are you a night owl or an early bird?
Depends. When I’m working on my own stuff I prefer the wee hours. There’s just something more conducive about being the only one up, alone in your head with no distractions. I had an art instructor recently tell me they feel there’s more time between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. than there is between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. I couldn’t agree more with that statement. On the flip side, I’ve had painting classes that start at 9:30 in the morning, which is normally an unknown hour to me. I’ve ended up surprising myself at what I’ve been able to achieve during that unholy time. Once again, it just depends. Regardless of the time, once you feel like making something you just do it. I don’t think creativity adheres to any particular schedule. But honestly, I’d rather sleep in.
In basic terms, can you describe the set up and vibe of your studio?
Currently it’s in flux as I just moved everything from school back to my apartment. In general, though, my workspaces have always been in a constant state of controlled chaos. I normally try to keep things organized, and then I start working and want to have immediate access to whatever material I need at that moment. Things tend to spread out pretty quickly. Plus, there’s the aspect of what I’m doing can get pretty messy at times. My roommates kind of frown on spray painting inside, or having their apartment splattered in paint, so I’ll have to move outside. I’ve also found that I don’t really need a studio space in the strictest sense in order to be productive. As long as I have an idea, a surface to play on and some supplies I’m usually all right. There definitely has to be music playing. And beer.
What are your thoughts on crowdfunding for the arts? And is that option any part of your own approach to creating and selling work?
Never really gave it much thought. I’ve always paid for everything I’ve done, and then just hoped someone else would be willing to pay for the end result. I most certainly wouldn’t mind someone buying me materials or giving me a space to work in. I’m not at all opposed to the idea; I just don’t know if I’m comfortable asking people for the help. I’ve donated to several Kickstarters in the past few years and felt just fine with the transaction. Art’s not cheap, but its way less expensive than say making a record or a film. But, like I said, if anyone out there wants to buy me presents or give me a second home to work in you wouldn’t hear me complaining.
Do you have a dream project that lacks only funding (or time)?
So many. My dream project is travelling the world and doing a painting of one person from each country on earth. That would be an amazing series, not to mention the adventure in itself. One hundred ninety-six paintings of all these different people from extremely different places, yet all tied together within the same idea. Obviously this would be extremely expensive, but how awesome would that be? Another slightly more tangible one would be opening my own gallery/studio space dedicated towards people that don’t have access to these things. A collective, of sorts. I know there are a lot of those things around now; this would just be attempting to eliminate the exclusivity of the institution. I think having an open door policy would really bring out the best in people that have no other means of expressing themselves in that setting. Other than that, I want to go big with my future work. This will require a larger, preferably private space to work in, and a lot more supplies than I’m used to buying. I guess I’m kind of contradicting my answer to the previous question. I just really want to be by myself and make huge beautiful pieces with high quality materials. So I guess I’m going to have to start a Kickstarter. Crap.
To what degree do you enjoy having public contact, whether that means selling your work at a fair, a gallery opening, etc.?
Normally I don’t like being around a lot of people. I might even say that I’m somewhat agoraphobic. Although, if I’m around a lot of people who are there to look at my stuff and give me their feedback then I’m totally cool with that. It really doesn’t matter to me what the setting is, as long as the people are engaged. I’ve done shows, public art, fairs and murals and I’ve always had a good time with the people I come in to contact with. The first public piece I did I was so terrified that before the event I developed a paint-by-numbers mural, premixed all the paint and then invited people to do it themselves. It was a complete cop-out, but everyone had a fun time painting, and the piece turned out great. I think it has something to do with being more in control of the situation, as opposed to having random interactions with people. Those I could do without.
What other St. Louis artist inspire or motivate you?
I’ve lived up here for eight or nine years, and the first local artist I found was Justin Tolentino. His combination of graffiti and fine art really struck me. All of those Screwed Arts Collective guys are great. The energy and creativity of their installations is really inspiring. Stan Chisholm of 18andCounting is in there—that guy’s always up to something good. It’s helpful creatively to see people just getting after it. It makes you want to make more. There’s also Benjamin Pierce; I’ve seen a few of his shows. His style is just gorgeous, it’s so weird and beautiful all at the same time. There are other artists I’ve loved that have since moved away, which is sad but also means less competition. Then there’re the graffiti writers, which I know is the trendy thing to say, but whatever. I’ve loved graffiti since I was a little kid, I would be mesmerized when trains would pass through the little town I grew up in. I feel like since I’ve been in St. Louis the scene just keeps getting better and the city continues to grow more beautiful. And a lot of the musicians. The musicians are good, too.
Drew Henry salon&gallery is located at 2309 Cherokee. For more information, call 314-865-5147 or go to drewhenrysalon.wordpress.com.
