Adam Caldwell: Beautiful Nightmare

Adam Caldwell: Beautiful Nightmare  

Artist Adam Caldwell paints the harsh realities of the world and portrays them as if you are in a dream. Caldwell’s work is based on his reactions to social issues such as war and consumerism. When viewing his art you will see several layers unfold. Caldwell’s work incorporates images from American advertisements & popular culture and rituals from around the world. While also exhibiting an almost dreamlike quality in its execution, the images in his paintings merge together to create a story and draw the viewer into the world that he’s created.

The eclectic nature of his work is a result of the wide range of interests and influences. His figurative paintings and drawings have been influenced by the work of artists like Odd Nerdrum, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Antonio López García, Jenny Saville, and Barron Storey.  He studied  under the artists mentioned while in art school. Caldwell’s art is also influenced by the theories of consciousness by Philosopher Daniel Dennett.

Pop culture, martial arts, and music also shape his perspective as an artist. These influences can be seen in the images he uses for his work. His grandfather, Author Erskine Caldwell, inspired his show called “Intersection,” and his commitment to representing the unseen and marginalized members of society. This has made a great impact on his work.

For Caldwell the community of artists that he surrounds himself with is another key influence. As an artist, painting can be a very isolated task, but he makes a great effort to attend art groups because he likes to connect with others. Art groups work together for the purpose of facilitating the creation of art. Caldwell also shares a studio space with Artist David Choong Lee.

In all of Caldwell’s paintings you can see how the various influences mentioned have shaped his work. Caldwell’s show entitled “Intersection” primarily focuses on his grandfather’s (Erskine Caldwell) novels. For inspiration, the artist is using the covers of his grandfather’s best selling works, which include “Tobacco Road” and “God’s Little Acre” and photos of his second wife Margaret Bourke-White. He is then layering the photos over images of ancient ruins, social protest, war, and architecture. Caldwell is piecing together fragments of American life – the good, the bad, and the hard-to-grasp. One of his pieces entitled “Deep South,” features a modern pin-up like model as the main focal point, but as you look on the outside of the painting you see a person with a gas mask and a man rescuing a child.

 “I want to explore the tension between Margaret Bourke-White, an amazing 20th century self-made photographer who made it in a man’s world…” he said in an interview with Warholian.com.

His methods for composition are based on buildable elements. First, he has a basic idea of what kinds of elements he wants to incorporate, and then he goes hunting for reference. This could include surfing the Internet, buying lots of old magazines, or searching used bookstores. When he has a critical mass of images, he starts making rough collages by using physical images or Photoshop. The artist has to decide what’s working in the illustration and what is not. He looks for a strong design and a clear focal point. Strategies from still life and landscape painting to creating eye movement, depth, balance, and focus are implemented. “My paintings evoke the tensions between mind and body, self and other, present and past,” said Caldwell on his website.

Caldwell decided to become an artist 10 years after completing high school. He was living day-to-day, working, drawing, playing music, and partying. Caldwell led an interesting life, but recognized a potential that was unrealized. He considered attending art school for several years. Caldwell had no other options, once he decided to start his career he knew being an artist was the only thing he could do.

Adam Caldwell uses his inspirations and the various facets of his life to create not only a work of art, but a world of his own.  His art proves the importance of social issues, but also provides a cool modern twist that embraces the past.

-Deja Cromartie

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