Painter Todd Bienvenu Talks About His Paintings With Noah Becker.
NB: Where are you from?
TB: I grew up in Arkansas and Louisiana, I’ve been in NYC for 15 years.
NB: What art school did you graduate from?
TB: Went to LSU for undergrad, the New York Studio School for grad*, but with an asterisk, I didn’t technically graduate cause I never wrote a thesis.
NB: Who are some of the historical artists you admire?
TB: The usual suspects, Goya, Rembrandt, Matisse, Beckmann, de Kooning, Guston, Alice Neel, Romare Bearden.
NB: Your work is very colorful how do you find inspiration for your paintings?
TB: I try not to think about it too hard, you can rationalize aspects of making a painting, but color is personal. I think my color comes from trying to make abstract paintings that congeal into imagery. The figures don't need to look like photographs or be anatomically correct. My main concern is fusing an abstract sensibility with the added bonus of a story. When you get up close it should just be color sitting next to color.
