Interview

May 30

Andy McIntyre
(AKA Little Bones)

Andy McIntyre is an Australian Artist living in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA.

He studied at The University of South Australia, where he completed a Bachelor Degree of Visual Communication (Illustration).

Yet to have a solo exhibition, Andy has been part of large group exhibitions in Adelaide, Sydney and Washington DC. His artwork also adorns the labels of some quality Australian wines, and can be seen hung in various residential locations around Washington DC.

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“After an early life of drawing as much as I could, on anything I could, I later found myself completing a Bachelor of Visual Communication degree, majoring in Illustration. I then started illustrating commercially for another decade, before realizing that I wanted to create work that was more meaningful to me. So throughout the last few years, my focus has shifted to establishing myself as an artist, defining where I fit in the art world.”

What inspires you most?

“I'm generally inspired by my surroundings. I'm constantly looking around and taking photos of things that surround me, and could translate into a stand-alone art piece or that help trigger a stream of ideas. This is particularly true when I'm in a new place and witnessing things closely related to the culture of that environment.”

“My main goal as an artist is to engage people and invoke some sort of emotion from them.”

What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“This really changes from day to day. Right now, I don't get too caught up in deep meaning and the expectation of art having this strong story to tell. That's not to say that I haven't and I won't, because I definitely will if there is an issue I want to say something about. However, for now, my art is more often about creating something aesthetically appealing.”

How would you describe your work?

“My work has really evolved stylistically over the years, so it's pretty tough to describe. In the beginning it was definitely steeped in pencil realism, but recently I've experimented across other mediums and styles to try and expand my skill set; to test myself and the way I deliver a message. With this in mind, I guess you could say it's dynamic with a level of structure and control.”

Which artists influence you most?

“Social media platforms are saturated with so much progressive and amazing art that it's hard not to pull a little from them all. I'm forever taking screenshots of works that have moved me in some way. Basquiat is my absolute favorite artist, which seems crazy considering his style is so vastly different to mine. His work challenges me to be more expressive, and focus on the detail and layering of the visual narrative.”

“I get a thrill from immortalizing a scene or an object from an exact moment in time.”

What is your creative process like?

“It's consistently structured for every project. I'll create my reference material in Photoshop first, where I'll do the exploration – somewhat akin to a sketchbook which some artists might use. This part of the process stems from my realism work in pencil, where the style dictates the lack of freedom to be experimental on the page. However, if I'm painting it will be more trial and error, but it still begins with me creating the basis to the visual, on the computer. Then it’s a matter of transferring the outline to the surface and starting to cover it.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“Firstly, I think any artist should aim to excite people, challenge people, offend people, inspire people or whatever. Just get them feeling something. Secondly, we are the storytellers of our time that define our culture during that period. Everything we create becomes a marker of a time and a place based on all the attributes of the work – content, style, color, medium etc.”