Ever wondered what it’s like inside the mind of an artistic trailblazer? Step into the vibrant world of Zander Blom, where chaos meets order and imagination runs free. Zander shares the stories behind his latest collection, his artistics secrets, and those unexpected studio moments. Get ready for a unique journey through his creative process, filled with bold experimentation, fascinating muses, and the colourful adventures that shape his stunning artwork.
1. If art were a wild beast, what kind of creature would your latest collection be, and how would you tame its creative spirit?
Let’s say that we all have a wild beast inside of us and perhaps the trick is to find it and trap it for a moment; look at the way it moves, find the tenor of its voice, put a tracker on it, and then let it loose to cause mayhem or dance like a ballerina.
Often a measuring stick for me is to ask if there is enough tension in a painting, is there enough pushing and pulling? Are things moving or static? If they are static what is holding things in place? Is gravity working its weight on the forms? Are they alive? Does the picture have its own internal logic? Its own engine? Its own source of energy?
I would be happy if my current paintings are snapshots of the wild beast in action; about to teeter off the edge of a cliff, or floating around in space, or pattering about gently, or hissing in a corner of a room.
2. What’s the craziest “Eureka!” moment you’ve had in the middle of a project, and how did it shape the outcome?
Those moments generally come about by just paying attention in the studio and being open to accidents. Less of a ‘Eureka!’ and more of a ‘One thing leads to another leads to another’. For example, some years ago I was painting with a palette knife and wiping the excess paint off on a cloth draped over a chair. I can’t remember the precise moment it happened but at some point, I was looking at the paint smears on the chair and thought them to be more interesting than the painting I was working on. So I started replicating those kind of marks on canvas and that became a new body of work. Then over time I refined those marks (which were initially very crude, almost numerically arranged) into gentler impressionist-like swarms containing swirls of colour. Later this led to a technique where the swirls of colour got smeared over wet paint to create a kind of marbling technique. And on it went to where I am today.
3. We’ve heard rumours that your studio doubles as a mad scientist’s laboratory. Care to spill the beans on any unconventional materials or tools you’ve experimented with lately?
In the past I used many different kind of palette knives. Some were sourced from art shops, but I also got an industrial designer friend to make me a range of large stainless-steel tools in order to scale up and create a variety of different textures.
For the last few years I’ve been using mainly silicone and rubber tools. I used to work in impasto but now my paint is diluted with a lot of turpentine and linseed oil. I apply the paint to canvas in a thin layer with a brush. Then I use the silicone tools to work shapes and gradients into the paint. So I rely heavily on the silicone tools for a variety of mark making. I often use things that are intended for cooking like spatulas and baking trays, but I also mould my own tools with regular household silicone bought from the hardware store.
The studio itself is a bit like an art materials store too. I have lots of different kinds of paints, canvas, paper, inks etc around me. So if an idea strikes for combining different methods and materials I can try it out and see if something sticks.
4. If you could invite any three artists, dead or alive, to a dinner party at your studio, who would they be, and what dish would you serve to fuel the creative banter?
I would prefer a braai with peers, or to listen to some interviews while working in the studio. It’s also so tough to choose just three artists. How about I give you names of some of my favourite young and upcoming local artists instead: Phillip Newman (Boytchie), Guy Simpson, Nozuko Madokwe, Callan Grecia, Anna van der Ploeg, Khanyi Mawhayi, Katarzyna Stefanczyk, Alexis Schofield, Songezo Zantsi and Michael Tymbios.
5. Your work seems to dance between chaos and order. How do you strike that balance, and do you ever feel like you’re walking a tightrope between the two?
More order than chaos because I like to be in control, but I really admire artists who open themselves up to chaos, particularly I think because I can’t allow myself to be too chaotic in my work or life. Francis Bacon for example was so singularly focused on creating powerful and disturbing images and you get the sense that the chaos of his personal life helped him get to a kind of theatre of horror and existential dread which wouldn’t have been possible if he lived a neat, controlled life. But it’s also about the way you frame it. What you may call chaos I might call play. So for me it’s a tightrope walk between play and critical thinking/looking.
The studio may sometimes look chaotic, but everything has its purpose. The way tools are laid out and the arrangement of furniture all serve to create an environment that is conducive to producing a specific type of painting. With each shift in the work the studio changes to accommodate a new process.
6. Let’s talk about colour. If you could invent a brand new shade, what would you name it, and what emotions would it evoke?
The history of colour is fascinating. I’ve got a book called The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St Clair that delves into the origin and history of different pigments and the story behind various shades. I would be more interested in coming up with a unique combination of different colours than in trying to invent a new shade. There is a wonderful little book by the Japanese artist, teacher and costume designer Sanzo Wada called A Dictionary of Colour Combinations – It’s a great reference if you ever feel stuck in the studio. And there is also a lovely book by the artist Josef Albers called Interaction of Colour that delves into how our eyes perceive different combinations of colour and form.
7. Every artist has a muse. What or who is yours, and how do they inspire your creative process?
I tend to look at a lot of images from books. I love second-hand book shops and my walls are plastered with pages from all different kind of books. It could be an image that I find fascinating or simply the layout of a page. There is also so much amazing stuff in the everyday around us. Inspiration can really come from anywhere; like a walk in nature, tangled wires on the street, or a curious iPhone snap.
I also listen to a lot of art podcasts and audio books, especially of artist biographies and artist interviews. I subscribe to Audible, and I highly recommend it to artists. I have very little time to read because most of my days are spent tinkering in the studio, so being able to listen to an artist biography while painting or making new tools is a real joy. I like to fill myself up with interesting voices, and stories from contemporary art and art history, so it can all swirl around in my head and keep me inspired.
Here’s a list of some of my favourite art books I’ve recently listened to:
- How to See, by David Salle
- Hot. Cold. Heavy. Light. 100 Art Writings, by Peter Schjeldahl
- Ninth Street Women, by Mary Gabriel
- Warhol, by Blake Gopnik
- Art is Life, by Jerry Saltz
- Matisse: The Life, by Hilary Spurling
- In Montmartre, by Sue Roe
- Breakfast with Lucian, by Geordie Greig
- Life with Picasso, by Françoise Gilot
- Playing to the Gallery, by Grayson Perry
- Boom, by Michael Shnayerson
- Mad Enchantment, by Ross King
- Last Light, by Richard Lacayo
- Francis Bacon in Your Blood, by Michael Peppiatt
Here are some good art podcasts:
- A brush with…
- The Week in Art
- Talk Art
- The Art Angle
- The Art World: What If…?1
- ArtTactic
- Dialogues: The David Zwirner Podcast
- Good Point Podcast
- The Modern Art Notes Podcast
- The Conversation Art Podcast
Here are some podcast episodes that I have listened to a few times and still get something new from every time:
- A brush with … Tal R
- Lisa Yuskavage – Talk Art
- Bad Taste – Good Point Podcast
- Fun – Good Point Podcast
Here are two good local art podcasts:
- The Voice of Art from Africa
- Unframed Podcast – Art Conversations in Africa
8. Your latest collection, “Monochrome Paintings,” has been described as a symphony of contrasts. Can you walk us through the evolution of this series and what inspired its inception?
A few years ago I was working on a range of small colourful paintings. I think I was working with yellow or red on a black surface that day with a brush and didn’t like what the paint was doing. In frustration I grabbed a silicone brush that I had bought some years back (probably from The Deckle Edge) but never used. I had no idea what its intended purpose was but it looked interesting. I dragged the tool through the paint and the effect was new to me, something I had not seen before. The silicone removed the colourful paint from the black surface but not completely – it left a soft gradient behind. This piqued my interest, and I did further tests. I started playing with anything made of silicone or rubber. I grabbed things from the kitchen and started cutting into and altering them to see what else silicone could do. I also switched over to working in black on white and this is where the technique really started to shine. For the first time I found it possible to work in monochrome in such a way that you can get an illusion of three-dimensional space without resorting to working in impasto. I was seduced by the idea of working in an Abstract Expressionist idiom like Jackson Pollock but where you can also have effects that are almost photographic and crisp – soft gradients that look like rock formations and swirls of lines reminiscent of *Op Art or 3D computer renderings.
9. The Deckle Edge is like a candy store for artists. What’s your go-to treat (aka art supply) when you’re in need of a creative sugar rush?
I approach the art shop like I do the grocery store. I start at one end and work my way slowly through the whole shop. This frustrates my wife who zips from this side to the other and is done in 10 mins. I like to take my time and see if there is anything new or something I haven’t noticed before. I often buy stuff that I have no clue what I might do with like the silicone brush that sparked the whole monochrome series. So I have many things around me in the studio lying dormant waiting to find a purpose one day.
10. We’ve heard whispers of a secret society of artists who meet under the full moon to exchange mystical painting techniques. Care to confirm or deny these rumours?
That’s a lovely idea! Sign me up.
In Cape Town I run into artists at bars and exhibitions all the time. We often share our struggles and triumphs in the studio. Technical talk among painters is most enjoyable. Everyone has their own tricks and approaches, and we can all learn from one another. I also have some artist pals that I’ll go for a walk or jog with. And then there are also some small WhatsApp groups where a few friends share studio snaps for advice or links to interesting podcasts and audiobooks.
11. If your artwork had a soundtrack, what songs would be on the playlist, and why?
I think the current work is quite dramatic and bold. It’s closer probably to Wagner or Beethoven than to say Debussy. Which is to say it’s probably more on the side of romanticism than impressionism – with hopefully a contemporary disjointed and glitchy twist. Maybe something by someone like Nicolas Jaar – but that would be flattering myself.
12. Your process involves a delicate dance between tradition and innovation. Can you share a specific technique or method that you’ve recently discovered or rediscovered?
I’ve recently rediscovered the beauty of gouache. There is a quality to a solid shape of colour painted in gouache on paper that feels unlike any other medium. It’s got a lovely rich satin texture. I’ve been doing some tests on slightly tinted and off-white paper and the results are promising but I can sense that a few more things will have to fall into place before I’ll know how I could use it exactly.
13. Let’s talk about happy accidents. What’s the most unexpected twist or turn your art has taken, and how did you roll with the punches?
Before the monochrome series I wanted to do more figurative work and I was heading in that direction. I had been building an increasingly figurative language for a while and I wanted to expand on it and scale up, but then I found myself swinging back to abstraction super hard in what felt like a U-turn. At first I was somewhat disappointed in myself. For a while I had been telling myself that simply being an abstract painter wasn’t enough for the times we live in. But then I realized that I had to get out of my own way and just embrace what flows naturally out of me in the studio. Like so many times before I had to follow the medium and do what my hands wanted to do instead of what my head was telling me.
14. If you were to create an art installation in outer space, what would it look like, and how would it defy the laws of gravity?
I still have too much work to do on earth in the studio with paint on canvas! I’ll leave outer space for someone else. Although if you get me a studio with zero gravity that could be fun.
15. Your work often blurs the lines between reality and imagination. How do you navigate the murky waters of the subconscious when bringing your visions to life?
My paintings now are rooted pretty firmly in abstraction. It does often have a strong figurative suggestiveness, but I don’t like it when forms crystallise into an obvious image, when it becomes a sign or symbol – when language enters the room and a shape becomes a dog, or dragon, or teacup. I don’t want to be in the business of storytelling, not now anyway. I like it when things hover in a liminal space where the viewer can make up their own story. Yet they can never be sure if what they are seeing is really there – not dissimilar to a Rorschach test.
16. Every artist has a signature move. What’s yours, and how did it become your trademark?
I haven’t really thought about it that way, but I like how every David Hockney work is unmistakably a Hockney – no matter what the medium or subject is. It’s great when the artist’s sensibility is distinct even when the works are very different.
17. If your artwork could speak, what would it say to someone encountering it for the first time?
It would say nothing, but say it spectacularly.
18. Let’s play a game of “Artistic Roulette.” If you had to choose one medium to work with for the rest of your career, what would it be, and why?
I’m going to be predictable and say oil paint. I’ve been working with it for many years and it’s just such a versatile medium that I would be totally happy if it was all I had access to for the rest of my life. I would have to say though that I would struggle if I was only allowed one kind of surface, one kind of tool and no paint mediums – so much about painting for me hinges on inventive combinations of paint, surface, tools, techniques and things like linseed oil, turpentine, etc. Even just the choice between using a flat or a round brush can make all the difference.
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Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic – 120mlR244.00 – R314.90
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Winsor & Newton Winton Oil Colours 200mlR478.00 – R511.90
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Ashrad Artist’s Fixative 200mlR133.10
19. Your paintings seem to have a life of their own, pulsating with energy and emotion. If you could step into one of your artworks, which one would it be, and what adventure would await you there?
I have a soft spot for so many different works from different moments that I wouldn’t be able to choose one. There are all sorts of different moods that they invoke for me. Some feel sombre and sincere, some humorous and light, others violent and menacing. If I was pressed for an answer I’ll probably choose whatever I’m working on at that moment because that’s what I would be in tune with and excited about, but it’s the same as having to choose a favourite artist. There are so many different people who are interesting for different reasons and at different stages of your life. My answer to that would also change every day.
20. Finally, let’s fast forward to the year 3024. Your artwork has become a time capsule for future generations. What message or legacy do you hope it leaves behind for the artists of tomorrow?
I think the best you can hope for is to have participated (in however small a way) in the ongoing conversation of art making. This is also a conversation about what it’s like to be a human being, a body with a heartbeat and all its senses, a thing that thinks, feels and lives in a specific place and moment in time. I’ve been a practitioner for so long that I rarely think about the WHY of making anymore but I remember being hyper critical of myself in the early years, and feeling like an imposter while hanging an exhibition I asked myself: ‘What makes me so special that I should be allowed to put my things on a wall and invite people to come and look at it? How is my point of view or context of any significance?’ I realised that this kind of insecurity was a crippling almost bourgeois luxury that I couldn’t afford. I had to get on with doing the job and my job was and still is to spend my life committed to paying attention to things that say a lawyer or accountant doesn’t have the time or inclination for – and then offering the result of this inquiry up to other people for consideration. It’s a way of saying let’s forget about significance. That is someone else’s problem. Anyone who chooses to be an artist and has the temperament to commit themselves to the pursuit deserves to be allowed to be an artist because this job has merit. Making paintings or drawings or whatever adds value and meaning to my life; and perhaps more importantly, artists (no matter how significant or not) add value to society, full stop. This was how I gave myself permission. I’ve also been deeply affected and inspired by so many different artists and artworks. I think that if you can make something that affects even one person you’ve already won. So I started trusting myself and tried to make things that (first and foremost) I found compelling – believing that if I could do that, chances are that someone else somewhere might resonate with it too. And what more can there really be to it all? Just a time capsule of someone somewhere who decided to call themself an artist.
21. Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers?
Be kind and generous to yourself and others.
For more on Zander Blom follow him on Instagram @zander_blom
*Op Art: A genre of abstract art that creates the illusion of movement through the meticulous use of patterns and colour. This effect is often achieved by the interplay of conflicting patterns that appear to shift and overlap. Bridget Riley and Victor Vasarely are renowned for their contributions to this artistic style.
* Profile Image of Zander Blom as part of the featured blog Image – Photo Cred to photographer – Nqaba Shakes Mbolekwana