SPOTLIGHT ON: CHAD WYS
Meet Chad. As his website states he's an "artist, writer, designer, and image thief." Recently, Chad gave us insight into his world. See our Q&A with the talented artist below.
Favorite art movement?
"It's hard to settle on one movement, but I'm personally fond of the time period that more or less corresponds with impressionism. I love what happened after the impressionists made it big, I love neo-impressionism, I love post-impressionism. I respond to the simple visual beauty of color."
Describe your art in three words...
"Minimalism meets appropriation."
How do you want people to feel when looking at your work?
"I can't say that I want anyone to feel a particular way -- other than sincerely open-minded. How one ultimately feels and what one takes away from my work is entirely up to the viewer. My goal is to create conversations around images and objects. We see so much; ours is a visual world, and we often take images for granted. We don't consider how they're used, who they're used by, or to what ends. We should."
What is the very first step in your creation process?
"I turn some music on and I go hunting for inspiration. I'm inspired by the work of others, so I get a real kick out of browsing websites and blogs for something exciting and mind-altering. Simply seeing someone else's brain at work in a good piece of art is enough to start my juices flowing. Creativity is the greatest infectious disease."
Would you consider jewelry art? What do you think the commonality is between fashion and art?
"I certainly consider jewelry art. That said, I'm afraid I'm not well-versed in jewelry. I can appreciate its beauty the same as anyone, and I can appreciate invention and creative experimentation no matter the medium. The jewelry at Lulu Frost is exquisite in its eclecticism and its variety. I think the case can be made that fashion designers use the human body as a canvas. They "paint" their designs onto the wearer in the way a painter uses oils. Fashion has a practical use as opposed to visual art. To me, art is purely expression. I think fashion and visual art are both fundamentally creative fields, and both are deeply expressive, but they're different animals. Fashion has a harder road to hoe."
We're enamored with the term "Modvin" (modern + vintage). How would you define this word based on your work?
"It sounds like a new term for an old habit: infusing old styles and motifs in contemporary settings. I would say that it does apply to my work, insofar as I borrow and mix and create pastiches of disparate ideas that are unconventional. Inventing a new whole from parts that are old is wonderful. Not only is it creatively challenging, it's a good way to recycle actual materials and ideas. We have so much in this world, it seems almost unnecessary to produce something new. There's so much we can learn by looking at things anew."
How can people follow you?
Get close behind me and mimic my stride. (Or visit chadwys.com, @chadwys on Twitter, or Chad Wys on Facebook!)
