An Interview with NYC Artist Col Wallnuts by Ingrid Reeve
APM: Col, we are huge fans of your work. We first became familiar with your work when contributing writer Deborah Johnstone included your artwork in a brilliant art review she wrote titled "Bushwick: at Alchemy's Edge" and we unknowingly credited the collective for your work. We were thrilled to find out it was created by a single artist and enjoyed your portfolio. You've created a recognizable style, what inspires you and/or drives your style? Col: The Bushwick Collective is a great project to be a part of. Joe, who curates the spots, has done a great job of helping transform these buildings to wonderful works of art. I have always tried to keep things interesting and different. Sometimes it has been successful and other times it flopped, but that has helped me get to where I am today with my style. So much around me is inspiring: the art of DeKooning, Johns, Pollack, Stella to name a few, as well as architecture, music, travels, family, friends, everyday life and the emotions that come along with that, to me this creates an amazing mindset for endless possibilities. Brooklyn, NY APM: Tell us about your background. Col: I am a born and bred New Yorker and have been drawing and painting since I was a little kid. Started getting up in Brooklyn and Staten Island around 1993-94. My work consists of mixing 3d styles and silhouettes of my letters that create a wide graphical palette with color and movement. The pushing and pulling of these elements make for very strong markings in my works. Using an open medium of acrylics, spray paints, oils, papers and found objects, my works become emotional with an array of surface life. A lot of my pieces contain heavy strokes, negative space and strong drip work, with the application of various textures and environments. These different elements within each piece create a complex statement that provides energy and life to surface structures and the environment the work has been painted in. With each work I create I hope to facilitate a new and varied interpretation of color and life for the viewer. To me that helps in creating successful works built on emotion and thought. Israel