Interview
Jim Bruce
Jim Bruce is a Mixed Media Visual Artist, Painter, and Writer. Primarily self-taught, he has received formal training in figurative sculpture, and is an alum of the Vermont Studio Center, Carving Studio, and the International Encaustic Conference. Jim is an accomplished juried artist who has traveled the globe in pursuit of art and inspiration. His chosen genres and mediums are wide-ranging and inspired by a variety of artistic styles. Jim's work is often characterized as symbolist in nature, where he explores irony and metaphor through a variety of art styles and genres. His artistic influences are rooted in such artists such as De Kooning, Bearden, Klimt, Basquiat, do Prado, and a hundred others. Jim lives and works in Vermont with his lovely wife, Susan.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“Fortunately, I was encouraged as a young student to be creative. Fast forward to today and I have been making art for decades. I am a life-long art student inspired by a great many artists alive and since passed. I would describe my work as being post-contemporary mixed media spanning multiple mediums. I experiment with a variety of dimensions, mediums, and genres, where color, texture, and emotion feature key in my artwork. I am a symbolist fascinated with the ironies associated with metaphor, social constructs, and the human condition. A feminist sensibility is pervasive in my work, inspired by the powerful and courageous women in my life. I am essentially self-taught, but have received formal training in figurative sculpture, and an alum of the Vermont Studio Center, Carving Studio, and the International Encaustic Conference. My artistic influences are rooted in such artists such as De Kooning, Bearden, Klimt, Basquiat, do Prado, and a hundred others.”
What inspires you?
“Nature, beauty, passion, and solitude. I process my world through color, energy and emotion. I embrace the unseen world, and all thing mystical and spiritual. I have travelled the globe in search of meaning, beauty, love, and truth.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“A core thread in my work is rooted in feminism. I would describe my art as evolving channels to process my early experiences in life, from pain and grief, to beauty and strength. The male architypes in my formative life were weak and cowardice whereas the female architypes in my life have been strong, beautiful, and courageous. I use symbolism and iconography in my work more often than not. Mysticism and Eros are consistent themes as well.”
How would you describe your work?
“Symbolist in nature, multi genre, multi media, and sometimes three dimensional. I enjoying working with a wide range of media. I probe with color, textures, and layering in my work, and use varying surface types. I would characterized my work as being contemporary/post-contemporary, sometimes edgy/angry, often times activist-oriented (riffing on current social themes of the day).”
Which artists influence you most?
“My artistic influences are rooted in such artists such as De Kooning, Bearden, Klimt, Basquiat, do Prado, Rodin, Schiele, Kahlo, Claudelle, and a thousand others.”
“A core thread in my work is rooted in feminism. I would describe my art as evolving channels to process my early experiences in life, from pain and grief, to beauty and strength.”
What is your creative process like?
“I process my life creatively 24/7. If I'm not making art, I'm thinking about making art. If I don't have time to be in the studio, I'm creating electronic sketches. I prefer to have as many as five works in progress at the same time. This affords the time for paint to dry, but more importantly, permits me to step away from a piece to observe and problem solve. More recently, I have been using electronic media (non-AI) to experiment with composition design whose values I can then put into a painting.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“I think it depends on the individual and what inspires and drives them. For me, social activism and justice feature as key drivers, especially as a mature artist. I see art as a form visual poetry where pause, witness, and truth can play a powerful role in society. These values become even important in the context of historical retrospect.”
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Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“My work has been juried in many exhibitions including: Juried Exhibition - Axel’s Gallery - 2023, Waterbury VT, The Sparrow Gallery Group Exhibition(s) (X2) - 2023, Middlebury VT; Solo Exhibition - Studio4, Burlington, VT ( 2023 - Ongoing); The Sparrow Gallery Juried Exhibition, 2024; Plogix Gallery - Juried Campaign, Times Square NYC May, 2024; SEABA Juried Exhibition at The Media Factory June, 2024; SEABA ART Hop Juried Show at The Media Factory September, 2024; SEABA ART Exhibit at Studi4 September in 2024.”
