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Issue link: http://artbusinessnews.epubxp.com/i/95409
ANYTHING! THINKING BEYOND THE CANVAS its own right. I enjoy blurring the lines between... an object, a sculpture and a painting—or can they be one?" Learning to tap into a sculptural sensibility is key for painters looking to bring dimensional work into their prac- tice, and doing so involves considering how viewers will physically engage with their pieces. James Whitworth (Behance. net/T eJCW), a graphic designer with extensive experience in product packag- ing, paints toys and sports equipment. As an artist, Whitworth appreciates the challenge of providing his viewers with something that traditional canvas can- not: T e experience of physically moving an artwork to fi nd hidden details, which for him include pieces like a volleyball whose infl ation hole is painted as a robotic hookup. "[It's] the little details that [viewers] fi nd… I think that people just enjoy being welcomed to actually pick up and handle artwork; you get your own personal time to experience it. T at's diff erent than standing with a crowd of people looking at the same point on the wall." John Stahr, of Stahr Design/Artistic Aviation (StahrDesign.com) has been creating custom paint jobs for a wide array of vehicles, from vans to jets, since the late 1970s. In addition to thinking dimensionally, Stahr considers how his mobile artwork will hold up in the world aſt er his work is done. "I really enjoy painting on canvas and creating art that I know will last for a lot longer, protected from the elements," Stahr says, who notes that his dimen- sional projects require "a willingness to create work that will probably someday ARTBUSINESSNEWS.COM James Whitworth replaces the traditional canvas with toys and sports equipment be disposed of and—with any luck—re- done or replaced with new design, color or artwork." What Stahr tries to main- tain, regardless of the scope and nature of each piece, is the purpose of art in the fi rst place: "Artwork is for creating mo- ments of connection and emotion," he says, "celebrating something honorable, special and—when you hit it over the fence—a tweak to the heart. Making a Finding adequate space in which to work is something every artist deals with, but Borden notes that her studio oſt en resembles a music shop when it is fi lled with her in-progress instrument pieces, especially because of unwieldy upright basses and cellos. For custom aviation projects, the challenge is much, much bigger. Stahr oſt en works in hangars, some custom- "ARTWORK IS FOR CREATING MOMENTS OF CONNECTION AND EMOTION." lasting memory for people seeing some- thing they will never forget is the true test." He aims for this eff ect whether he's working on a gallery piece to be viewed on a wall or the belly of a plane only seen from the ground. T e challenges of painting unusual objects are not completely atypical of art in general, although the scale can diff er. built by clients, since his works require several unusual specifi cations, including "ventilation and a way to deal with the paint odor and overspray... racks for all those moving airplane parts that need to be painted [and allowed to dry] off the airframe and compressed air to oper- ate the painting tools all have to be part of the process." Stahr does "whatever it 51