Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Mowbray.
Andrew, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I have always been making and building things. I was born in Boston and grew up in this region. I went to college at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland, and then graduate school at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills Michigan, just outside of Detroit. During this time in college I learned a lot of skills related to metal casting, mold making and wood working. In Baltimore I worked at bronze foundry which cast the Babe Ruth sculpture for outside Camden Yards (with the glove on the wrong hand). After college I moved to Boston rented an art studio in Southie and worked in a sign shop as a fabricator. This job also greatly increased my construction skills. At the time I was also volunteering at Green Street Gallery in Jamaica Plain and meeting other artists and starting to exhibit my work. From this point on I began showing my work more and more, and eventually started have solo exhibitions.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My work is typically project based. This could start with a material, an object, or construction technique as inspiration. I find it can be limiting to categorize art work as painting, design, sculpture, architecture, etc. so I try to keep an open mind and just create. Recently I have been interested in quilting as a process, and also milk crates as a ubiquitous urban object. For me these share similarities in modular pattern and in the way, they stack and fit together. I have been creating sewn quilts made from repurposed Tyvek Home Wrap, and more recently I have been building milk crate forms from found and reclaimed materials. I see these as uncanny representative objects that can exist both inside and outside spaces created for the display of art. I hope these works cause the viewer to reconsider the original sources and how they exist and function in society.
Artists rarely, if ever pursue art for the money. Nonetheless, we all have bills and responsibilities and many aspiring artists are discouraged from pursuing art due to financial reasons. Any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with prospective artists?
It can be tough, and most people need to work. You just do it. Apply for grants and when you don’t get them apply again and again.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
andrewmowbray.com. I currently have work in a group exhibition in the South End at Gallery Kayafas called “Trees II”
Contact Info:
- Website: andrewmowbray.com
- Instagram: andrewmowbray
Image Credit:
All art work images credit: Clements Photography and Design
Portrait credit: Jerry Russo
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
