Today we’d like to introduce you to Damien Hoar de Galvan.
Damien, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born in western Mass and moved a few times when I was very young including some time in Argentina where my father is from. I grew up in Beverly, MA and spent most of my youth playing sports. Both my parents are very creative and although neither were technically artists in their careers, I think of them both as artists in their own ways. In college, I studied behavioral science but by my senior year I was spending a good deal of my time in the art building and that’s where I really began to consider art as something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life. After graduating in 2001, I moved to Portland, OR briefly and then back to Boston. For six years or so I worked mostly as a painter in a studio before going back to school in 2007 at SMFA where I got a post-baccalaureate certificate. It was at the museum school that I started working more with wood and sculpture and that is mainly what I continue to do today at my home studio in Milton, MA.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My work these days tends to be quite small. The sculptures are made from various scraps of wood, glued together and often painted. They can resemble heads, boxes or various other vessels but remain in the world of abstract art. The final shapes are not generally known beforehand and are made intuitively. I don’t always have quick, concise answers to what they mean or why I make them. This used to bother me quite a bit but as I continue to work on them, I am slowly beginning to believe and accept that the process of making them and the emotional/psychological states I am in a while working are for me the reasons. I think that if art isn’t mysterious it’s not very interesting. I don’t go in with a particular agenda when making. I don’t think its a stretch to say that these days the world we are all living in is confusing, frustrating, absurd and hilarious. There doesn’t seem to be a clear way to understand or process all that is happening at such a rapid pace. In some ways, I feel that these small, slow sculptures are my way of dealing with my life in this crazy world. These “vessels” contain all my emotions and thoughts in response to everything, positive and negative.
What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
In my experience being an artist is lonely. I do think there are a bunch of ways to find community though. A few ways would be by staying in touch with people you went to school with, get a studio in a building with other artists, go to local openings and also connect with people online. I think building your own group of artists and friendships is really the only way to continue your career, it’s very hard to do everything on your own.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
These days social media is the quickest and easiest way to reach people and so the easiest way to at least see what I’m doing or get updates is through Instagram. Lately, I have been working with a variety of galleries around the country so to see the work in person or to purchase its best to contact them. I can also connect people to the galleries so again Instagram or email me and I can help guide to the best fit.
Contact Info:
- Website: damienhoardegalvan.com
- Email: damienhoardegalvan@gmail.com
- Instagram: @damienhoardegalvan
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