of Picasso and Magritte – I remember
becoming really engrossed in the
various movements and personalities.
Later I watched documentaries on
abstract expressionism and Neo Dada
later on and I thought ‘hey that’s quite
cool I would like to do that’ I think
that was a key experience for seeing
Rauschenberg’s and Johns’ paintings.
“Johns paintings draw me in, he too
made me realise you could convey very
oblique ideas with a lot of economy
and wit. I think with Rauschenberg, in
particular, it was his handling of paint
and habit of selecting arbitrary objects
that were confined to his immediate
surroundings that interested me and
have kept with me.”
Robert says that aside from artists, his
other main influence or inspiration has
come to be music which he describes as
a day to day aesthetic experience.
He said: “It’s an amazing condenser of
emotion and how some complex pop/rock
music can be both cathartic and stimulating
in a brief time is really interesting. I am
wary of making this reference as it can
sound kitsch but it is neat interlocking
rhythms that I get out of the music I listen
to. Plus, songs can be linked to memory
not sentimentally but viscerally. Often I am
in a car listening to music and it’s a very
private space, a release zone – I am often
visualising under the influence of sound
– it becomes a physical act. Sometimes I
actually see the colours I want to use and
it’s like hunting when you’re driving around
in this state. You’re getting your motivation
together, a mental framework sometimes.
You know you want to produce an image
that is going to have enough excitement to
carry you through the work process – it’s
an emotional mental visualisation. At this
stage if I see one or two colours, I try and
keep them as an anchor.”
Robert says there is an unashamedly
interior design quality to some of his
work; he wants them to be intimate. He
says they are aspirational and utilitarian
aspect to his work.
“I want people to relax in front of them –
to try to get an effect like a TV or a fire.
I mean I keep a calendar of Cheryl Cole
on my wall just to keep myself grounded,
just to remind myself there’s a world of
bling and buzz out there that is far more
distracting to people and equally fun.
“I often get an idea for a painting quite
quickly. I will see something that I look
the look of that affects me. Sometimes it’s
just an element I would like to add into
it like a part of a graffito wall or tiles or
something and I generally look for a very
earthy looking random background.
“They vary in the start to finish process
a lot. It’s often the paintings that I have
done quite quickly that I am delighted
with the most.”
Robert is represented by represented by
Theuer und Scherr in Mannheim Germany.
By Liza Laws
robertmeldrumart.com
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