Today we’d like to introduce you to Xander Rudd.
Hi Xander, It’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us. To start, could you share some of your backstory with our readers?
My creative journey’s initial spark began in late high school when some friends and I started an art and music collective. Around that time, I was getting into graffiti and producing experimental electronic music. Our collective continued to progress and gain traction, and soon, we performed around Nashville, TN. Our performances comprised live painting, live instrumentation, and rapping. All of us were diving deep into ourselves, our creative expressions, and our philosophies for life. During this time, a passion began growing that was momentous and aflame. Eventually, we all went to college, and the collective started to fizzle out. Most of us continued to pursue our art in some form or fashion. I chose to go to school for art and graduated with a BFA and a concentration in painting. During my four years at UTK, some professors were hugely influential and helped me grow and evolve as an artist. After school, I began traveling. I developed a deep desire to explore and sought to experience things and places filled with beauty, wonder, and awe, from Traveling all over the US on a school bus to attending an art residency in the jungle of Peru to backpacking through all of Central America. The culmination of those experiences of traveling and being nomadic has molded me into the person and artist I am today. It was around 2020 that I started really planting my feet and fully pursuing my art career full-time. It’s been a wild and beautiful ride thus far, and I’m excited about the future.
Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth?
For the most part, my journey has been smooth and filled with momentum. However, I’ve encountered trials and tribulations along the way, but through those challenges, we grow and build more backbone in life. That backbone is crucial for us to progress and evolve as artists. At times, I’ve reached those moments where the universe asks me if I have what it takes to push through those challenging periods of doubt. Things align for me every time it’s been on the other side of that hangtime. I’ve learned that the artist’s path is grit, persistence, and consistency. We must continually show up and push through the things that create resistance, whether it’s a lack of inspiration, financial restraints, or self-criticism, and we must move forward and have faith.
Thanks for sharing that. Please tell us more about your work.
I’m a painter. However, recently, I’ve been inspired to step into other mediums, such as sculpture. I strive to pull from and translate the complexity of the modern world and the natural world. In that attempt, my work always undulatingly contrasts abstraction and representation. My paintings present an assimilation of math and architecture and a juxtaposition of the micro and macro. They are a meditation on subtleties and the slow fade between moments. Simultaneously alive in my work is the idea of duality and the many ways it can present itself. Often, I find the most exciting moments of my practice are in the spontaneity of what I call “dances with unseen forces,” where I connect to certain rhythms that seemingly guide the compositions. I’m proud of my devotion to consistently exploring my practice and staying true to what I want to come through. With social media today, artists can be easily influenced by their audience, and it’s imperative always to do the work that excites us, not just create what we think our audience will like more. My adventurous and spontaneous spirit sets me apart from others, and it’s been that spirit that drives me to explore, experiment, and be bold in my art practice.
What’s next?
I’m currently focused on preparing for a solo show scheduled for March 21, 2024, where I’ll showcase a new body of work that I’m very excited about. In addition to this exhibition, I have plans to create more murals this year and scale up my work by exploring larger canvases in the studio. I’m also looking to integrate sculpture into my practice, which I’m eager to explore and incorporate into my artistic repertoire.
Contact Info:
- Website: xanderrudd.com
- Instagram: @xanderruddart
