Blaine Fontana left the everyday hustle of Long Beach, CA for the more relaxed pace of Portland, OR. An experience the 24 year old painter calls “humbling, breathtaking and insightful.” When he made the decision he looked inward for guidance.
I had nothing to do besides finally listening to my inner voice,” Blaine tells me. “ I reflected on my career and life over the last five years, I’m supposed to say it rains here all the time, I’m supposed to say the art scene is dead here, I’m supposed to say there’s no culture, if I was a true native, but alas the kid me can’t lie.”
To say he’s enjoying his time in his new home would be an understatement. Blaine is ecstatic in Portland. As this interview takes place he is outside on what he describes as a gorgeous Summer evening, enjoying locally made craft beer as Ethiopian Jazz blares from a stereo. This is the life for Blaine, and he dares you to dislike it. This is Blaine now. Rewind four, five years and Blaine was in a much different place.
"American Cannibal," Acrylic By Blaine Fontana
In 2006/2007, Blaine’s work saw a boom unprecedented to a young urban artist. In a time where too much of his work was floating around the internet and galleries took a toil on Blaine. After noticing the trend, Blaine took a self imposed time out. This initial year and a half break turned to three. It’s been three years since Blaine’s last solo show.
“The extra time were situations beyond my control, but I made the best out of those disappointments and developed the direction I am doing today,” Blaine explained. “I have repeatedly gained and lost fans, followers, collectors and friends(I have to ask myself, were they friends in the first place?) If you are the sort of person who subscribes to an artist doing the same thing over and over again because its reliable and is comfortable, my work is not for you.”
“I am happiest and at my best creatively when I am constantly challenging myself and progressively putting myself out there,” he later adds.
Looking back at the time, Blaine admits less art work “would have been a lot more.” But that is past. Blaine’s background is in Illustration and Design. The majority of illustrators and designers, make loads of work. Blaine admits even Fine Art training couldn’t have prepared him.
“Nothing could have prepared me for the rapid ascension into the gallery scene,” Blaine says. “I’m proponent of the English phrase, “leaving the party at its peak”, but I lost sight of this in the concentrated validity I was experiencing.”
Blaine’s new body of work began when his self imposed exile began. The artist began to focus on the grotesque human experience as an American in the 1960’s. This idea expanded to a global scale quickly. Inspire by the Voyager Golden Record Space crafts, created by Carl Sagan and launched into space in 1977 in an attempt to connect with possible intelligent life.
“In essence all our governments appointed one man to represent our species,” Blaine said. “It was my goal to create my own golden record, only purely visual and interpretive.”
Compared to previous work, Blaine’s new work carefully contains a softer color palette in an effort to embrace colors, compositions, typography synonymous with that decade.
“I was very attentive to uphold the aesthetics of the 70’s,” Blaine says. “Conceptually, many works here have there own argument within itself. A conflict that demonstrates our own incredible potential and beauty, while simultaneously our horrific narcissism.”
Looking forward, Blaine is focused on his first solo show in Tokyo, Japan which will open this November which is curated through Matt Wagner of Hellion Gallery. Blaine is the first foreigner to show at the gallery.
“I’m enthusiastic to continue the marriage of my design into my fine art work and refine it day by day,” Blaine says. “I feel and hope there will soon be a day in the future where I’m observed not solely as a painter but as a culminated practitioner of mixed genre.”
"Vacating All Nests," Acrylic by Blaine Fontana
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- Blaine Fontana interview in Art Nouveau magazine |
