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Brooklyn artist Christian Rex van Minnen Interview

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TALKING PAINTING WITH 
CHRISTIAN REX VAN MINNEN
So, you were switching studios yesterday?

Yeah, moved just down the street near the Navy Yards.Very excited.This is my first legit, out-of-home art studio. With a door and bathroom, anyway.

What does a day look like for you at the studio?

Coffee. I put together a media playlist for the day, alternating between podcasts, music, audiobooks. I try to spend a good amount of time thinking about my palette- if i can use up yesterday's palette on something, build a new one, scraping, cleaning, etc. I try to gauge my mood and what process is best suited for that mood: underpainting is good for restlessness, grisaille for anxiety, glazing for more serene moods. Facebook and all that is persistent distraction, of course.

There's a lot of historic references in your work. How has your paintings developed over the years to the point of how we know them today?

Yes, there are. I am interested in the formal aspects of portraiture and still-life; the geometry and system of delivering information in those specific stylistic conventions. I see them as a sort of marketing platform. Before i became engaged, and engorged, in Old Master's painting i was doing basic surrealism, using a lot of automatic drawing but without any compositional constraints. 
THE WORK OF CHRISTIAN REX VAN MITTEN IS A COMBUSTION OF TRADITIONAL PORTRAITURE WITH A CONTEMPORARY TWIST AND MANY MANY CUPS OF COFFEE.WE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM AS HE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A MOVE.HE WAS NICE ENOUGH TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS. 
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Portraiture and still-life provided me something to bump into. I still use those art historical references as a crutch and I foresee a day when I will need to ween myself from them.

Are you ever surprised with how a piece starts and how it ends?

I try to make a point of it. I try to keep it tastefully awkward.

Tell us a little bit about the Great Western Buffet? Are you into buffets?

No, I think buffets are gross actually. Giant petri dishes. I think
that western culture has a giant shit sandwich to eat and we all gottatake a bite. Spiritual healing through the eating of shit sandwiches.

Congrats on becoming a father. How has it been? Has the transition been real different of how you make work?


Thank you. It has been amazing and intense and a lot of other newemotions that I don't have a name for yet. The 'how' part hasn'tchanged, but the 'when' certainly has, and maybe even the 'why' part alittle bit. In general I have to be a little more efficient andeffective with my time. Less studio catatonia. 

Lowest point of your art career was when?

Anytime there was anything that had something to do with an'art-career' was a high point! I've really had to piece this thing together doing whatever I could- set design, furniture commissions,portraits, teaching- I even did an illustration for Playboy once. I've done some art-career things I would rather have not done but in the end it was always better than digging a ditch or mowing a lawn, or pulling up old floors. Anytime I was lucky enough to do something art related and get paid for it I was pretty happy. There have been days sitting catatonic in the studio surrounded by piss bottles and thinking of suicide. But that's just a low point in life that caused my art to suffer. That was me just being a narcissistic idiot.

Highest point thus far of your art career was when?

Getting to quit my job as a delivery driver a couple years ago and working full-time as a painter. It's really been great. Moving to NewYork has also been incredible. I've been able to meet so many artists and cool people. It's the first time I've really felt a part of a
community.
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To learn more about Christian Rex van Minnen visit his site right here.