Interview
George Seyffert
George is a Brooklyn-based artist and attorney working from his studio in Dumbo. As a New York City native of Puerto Rica and Irish descent, his firsthand life experiences — including nearly a decade practicing law — continues to steer everything he makes. He received an undergraduate degree from SUNY Binghamton and a law degree from Brooklyn Law School. As for any formal education in the arts, George has taken several classes across schools and studios in NYC, but he remains largely self-taught. His work is mixed media on large-format canvas: oil, acrylic, charcoal, ink, pastel, built over layers of case law pages, receipt paper, sticky notes, and other materials pulled from the systems he’s examining.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“You see, questions like this one are tough for me, mostly because I dissect everything. It's part of the curse/blessing of being an attorney. What defines the art world? If it's the first time I realized I had a talent and enjoyed creating, then I would say it was around 3rd grade. That's when I entered into a district-wide drawing competition and won first place. I remember entering several artist competitions while attending P.S. 110 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. I'll credit my parents here, as they both are/were artists in their own right. My mother always had a thing for creating, whether it was sewing, painting, drawing, or making little trinkets. My late father was a carpenter. His ability to build, remodel, and fix was undefeated. A true master of his craft. One would think this would be enough for me to pursue a career in the arts early on, but no. Somehow, this translated to law school for me. However, if we are defining my journey into the art world as when I first decided to take my skill seriously, then I would say 2024. My love for creating has zigzagged across my life to date. Coming and going like the tide. Higher education and what I thought was my pursuit of happiness prohibited me from tapping into my potential. Not until I began taking my mental health seriously did I finally invest in my passion. You will hear a lot about my internal conflict when I describe my process and within the descriptions of my work. Attorney versus artist. Law versus art. Structure versus disruption. These dueling concepts have birthed a unique creative process. One that channels inner thought and emotional freedom into deliberate expression on canvas.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“It would be both a moral defeat and an ethical wrong not to link my experiences as an attorney to my work and process, while commenting on the current issues affecting us all at the moment. Lucky for me, there is no attempt or objective clearly present when starting a piece. But rather the result of a natural flow of feelings attempting to express my resentment with the current times via my knowledge of the law. I wouldn't say the raw emotion that fills the canvas is tied to one particular issue or movement, but rather a discontent with where we continue to fail as a society. I do want to slowly hone in on specific issues, and I am currently doing so with my new collection entitled ‘Revolution is When You Figure it out for Yourself.’ This collection specifically expresses my thoughts on the current administration and the constitutional crisis unfolding.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“Completely improvised. I am already too organized and structured as an attorney. As an artist, I long to be the complete opposite. Its the only way I keep the two worlds from colliding. If I tackled my work as an artist in the same manner and fashion as I do my legal work, I would become psychotic. And if vice versa, my clients would receive contracts with paint on them. Improvising keeps my mind sharp and process unique. I never know where a piece is going until it's ‘done.’ And even then, I have a habit of completely redoing pieces I originally considered completed. For me, it's the only time I am allowed to make ‘mistakes.’”
Are there any art world trends you are following?
“Not at all. When I signed the lease for my first studio, I told myself that I would not cater to the traditional art world. Including creating pieces that are ‘trendy.’ My primary focus is authenticity. Getting caught up with industry standards, trends, and what everyone else is doing or wants is exactly what I did when starting in my legal career. My art is mine. It's what I envision from inside. This is not to say I am out of touch with what is going on. I remain curious and open to what is happening in the art world, but it's nowhere near a priority of mine.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“Well, I thought you would never ask! What inspired my current pursuit into the art world started with moving some furniture years after graduating from law school and stumbling across my old caselaw textbooks. When I looked inside, I was hit by a burst of color. You see, I used to color-code my case briefs, as most law students do. Each part of a case was highlighted with a different color. Green was a material fact. Blue was a precedent case. Orange dissent. Yellow legal analysis. Red ink was used to record important notes mentioned during the lecture, and blue ink was used for my personal notes from the night before. Seeing these pages jump-started my creative process. What else am I to do with outdated caselaw books? They were collecting dust and were never going to be read again. So, I started tearing them out and throwing them on a paperboard. Soon, I quickly realized I needed a stronger base, and that's when I switched to cotton canvas. Fast forward two years, and I now incorporate old caselaw, sticky notes, and legal notepad pages into almost every one of my pieces. These add incredible layers of texture to my work and have helped develop my signature.”
What does your art mean to you?
“Progress. It’s evidence that we can change. We do not have to be or do just one thing. We can be and do so much more. Seeing what I have created continues to inspire me. What's next? Who will I cross paths with? Where will I go? These questions pop up every time I catch myself scrolling through my portfolio. I fear routine. It's what freed me from the scary life of corporate America. My art defines who I am. Someone not about conformity or structure. I invite chaos. I welcome the unknown.”
What’s your favourite artwork and why?
“Hardest question by far! I will not say one of mine because that would be false. Over the past few years, one artist who has really inspired me is Kandy G. Lopez. Her work focuses on the use of yarn and other similar fibers to recreate depictions of members of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora in America. I must credit her with my first jaw drop at an art show. I remember being truly mesmerized by her use of yarn and ability to capture light effortlessly. It’s what helped me build up the confidence to tackle mixed media and look at non-traditional mediums. Paint is just one of thousands of ways to express a concept or thing and all it entails.”
Website: www.georgeseyffert.com
Instagram: @george.seyffert
