Interview with Marc Burckhardt
I recently got the opportunity to conduct an interview with the talented artist, Marc Burckhardt!
Marc is a surrealist who paints wonderful dreamlike paintings. To view more of his work, give him a follow on Instagram at marc_burckhardt or check out his website at www.marcburckhardt.com
You can read his inspiring answers below:
- What are your present goals for your art?
“My goals are the same as they’ve always been: to create work that challenges me. Of course that goal line keeps moving as you grow in your work and career, but the idea is to stay just a bit out of your depth and comfort zone. As to how that manifests itself in the ‘real world’, I’ve found that the mix of commissioned and gallery work has been a perfect mix for me, each pushing the other in new directions and forcing me to think both internally and externally regarding themes and in my conceptual language.”
- Why do you create art?
“I was, like most kids, always drawing, but unlike most I never stopped. And I was lucky enough to have made my living as an artist my entire career. My reasons for doing it are pretty simple: it brings me joy (mostly!) and gives my life real purpose. That may sound odd, but I think doing something well—anything, really, as long as it doesn’t harm anyone else—is why we’re all here. If you can do something that other people actually enjoy and benefit in some way from, you’ve found your calling.”
- Where do you derive your inspiration from?
“My initial influences were broad, encompassing almost everything I saw, but slowly my aesthetic narrowed to the dark sensibilities of folk art and the Flemish Masters. Something about the stiffness and characters in those works, as well as the secular themes and symbolism, grabbed me early in life and never let go.”
- What is your favorite medium to use in your art and why?
“I work in a modified version of the Old Master’s method, which built works up monochromatically on panel using tempera, then glazing in oils. I’ve replaced tempera with acrylic, which has many of the same properties (opacity, fast drying), but otherwise stuck with their approach.”
- What are some of your hobbies and interests? What do you enjoy about them?
“Well, my primary hobby is closely related my work: travel. I divide my time between a studio in Austin, TX and one in Northern Germany, and I spend a great deal of time in between traveling around Europe both professionally and for fun. I’ve learned so much about painting from simply visiting museums—one of my favorite pastimes—and the culture, food, and richness of daily life feed me artistically. Depending on how you look at it, one of the scary or wonderful things about being a professional artist is the freedom it provides, and travel is one way I’ve taken advantage of that flexibility.”