Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Godwin.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
I got started without a plan; it was just an experiment. When I was 7 or 8 and in first grade, there was an art competition with the prompt “If I could go anywhere.” I remember thinking about the Hubble Telescope images of Jupiter and its giant swirling marbled colors. That’s where I wanted to go, but making a painting of Jupiter seemed ridiculous- I hadn’t done anything like this before. And I remember thinking, “UGH, but that’s the truth; Jupiter is the real answer. I have to try, at least.”
The painting I made- Jupiter, space shuttle, astronaut Andy, earth in the distance, splattered with stars in white paint flecks- was awarded first place. I had done something that all these people seemed to understand. I was shocked and thrilled; it was magical. I remember the earnestness of it and how gratifying it was for something I made to connect with others. Since then, I have been drawing, writing, and painting through architecture school and practice, I taught drawing and architecture studio courses, and I am running an architecture practice (Sparkman & Associates Architects) with my partner, Susanne. Several years ago, after losing my grandfather, I made a large ink drawing of a turtle shell. I could communicate something that way, something I couldn’t explore any other way. After that, my art practice needed more space, so I started doing more intentional work and thinking more critically about it.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
The biggest struggle is keeping everyone else out of your practice. It’s so easy to look at everyone else’s work, at art history, at what sells and what gets social media attention, and try to put all that together to make something that you think everyone will like. This is true of art, architecture, and many other things. What is more complex- but completely essential- is to learn all that stuff and then let it go and make what you want to see. It requires self-confidence, self-worth, and sometimes feeling like a fool- but this is the only way.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m using drawing to explore the connections that exist between all things. I have real references and often draw realistically, but the subjects are so zoomed in (or out) or are composed in such a way that you start to see other things as well. Have you ever looked closely inside a snail shell, a pinecone, or a sweetgum ball and began to imagine landscapes or caves or see patterns you didn’t see before? It’s like that. If you can imagine all these different things by looking at one thing, they are all connected somehow. That’s about as far as I go in explaining my work. I am a firm believer that artists are producers, not interpreters. We can’t produce the truth if we’re constantly critiquing and interpreting our work, so I keep the conduit open and make what feels like me. I am only working with pencil on paper right now; taking these ubiquitous items and making something unique is important to the work I’m doing. The drawings take a lot of time, but imbedding them with time is necessary for some reason. I wrote on a Post-it note yesterday: “I want my work to feel like a mystery that you know is right (true?), but you don’t know how or why. The pencil is a key.”
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check?
Apps: Just the camera app and the notes app. Document everything so you can see what grabs you later. Keep folders for ideas. Scroll back through pictures whenever you’re feeling creatively stuck or curious. I have whole notes that are just ideas for bumper stickers that would be funny (Anything you find funny is essential! It could lead somewhere!).
Books: So many. First, George Saunders is one of our greatest writers- Lincoln in the Bardo is a masterpiece. I have 3 books in my bag right now: You Have to Say Something by Dainin Katagiri, which is about the practical applications of zen teachings; Agua Viva by Clarice Lispector, which is the stream of consciousness of a writer struggling with what to do and what it means; and a book that I’m writing for our son Sam that is a reflection on growing. I read a lot, and always with a pencil. I love going back through books and re-reading my underlines. Several years ago, when I was beginning to devote more time to my art practice, a friend, Monika Miller, recommended that I read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron- I did, and still do, the morning pages exercise from that book several times a week.
Podcasts: I only listen to 2 podcasts regularly: Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson and This American Life. HCR’s recap of national events is sober and instructive. This American Life reminds me of how many people and situations are out there.
Websites: I check The Creative Independent every day. I used to read the interviews, but now I scroll straight to the bottom to see what each person recommends. I have found so many exciting things this way.
Pricing:
- A Home to Meet Our Needs is $600, via andrewgodiwn.com
- Tide Pool is $500, via andrewgodwin.com
- Untitled (#48) is $500, via andrewgodwin.com
- The Fool is $500, via andrewgodwin.com
- Chambers is $1,200, via andrewgodwin.com
Contact Info:
- Website: andrewgodwin.com / https://www.andrewgodwin.com/faq / https://www.andrewgodwin.com/about
- Instagram: @andrewgodwinart
- Other: sparkmanarchitect.com
Image Credits
Personal photo by Bradford Raines. Photo of “A Home to Meet Our Needs” by Bradford Raines. All other photos by Andrew Godwin.
