“As soon as I saw this I knew it was your work” is something I hear often. I am just some dude from Pittsburgh, PA who likes to connect color to canvas, but I actually hear this often from viewers. The question that follows that statement is “How do you develop a style that people recognize, but also make things that are different and varied?”
This is a question that is hard to answer. I will be using great artists here for reference, please don’t take it as I’m putting myself in or at their level. Again, I am just some dude from Pittsburgh who likes to connect color to canvas. But when you’re talking about your own work and trying to figure out your style, it’s important to have other artists, both famous and not famous, as references.
Writing this, I had to go back and look at some of my older paintings to crack the code (if there is one). When I look at the older paintings to the ones I’ve done up to now, I see very similar subjects and colors. I tend to use colors that pop and childlike characters that (in hopes) catches your eye. There’s a distinct way I draw lines, shapes and characters. This is all done in what I would call muscle or creative memory. It’s something that just happens naturally when artists begin a piece and it stays consistent across their portfolio.
If you look at the work by Gregory Siff, you will see what I mean. From the way he uses the Krink marker and his paintings and drawing flow it is immediate to know you’re looking at one of his works. Same for someone like Andy Warhol, I think we all can agree that we know when we see a Warhol. From screen printing to flower paintings, we just know.
As an artist that tends to do paintings in a series I want to keep what I call my style of painting. This is how I identify as an artist and share my story on canvas. If you’re familiar with my work you know I have drawn up bunnies, childlike stick figures, superhero-esque, and weird angel/demon creatures. All of these characters have a resemblance, as if they’re from the same multiverse. The only thing that really connects all of them, besides being done by me, is how they’re all drawn and painted.
One artist whose work has a similar through-line of a cast of characters is ChrisRWK from Robots Will Kill–a graffiti writer and pop artist from New York. All of his work is tied together by his style. Everything from the character’s shape to the smallest details, you are able to know it’s one of his amazing paintings.
The way an artist uses mediums, subjects, colors, brush strokes and more is a tell-tale tell sign of their work. I would be certain that if you look back on any artist’s work you will see where they started to fine tune their style and carry on to improve it. I know that I can see it in my work, and over the last few years I have honed in on my style and accepted it. I am now starting to fine tune it and make it mine.
It’s important to look at your own work and see what’s consistent and what changes over time. Although, in the end, I don’t think any artist’s style is ever perfected. We’re a weird bunch of misfits that seem to never be happy with our work, we somehow always see the flaws and where improvement can be made.
Bob Freyer is an award-winning artist from Pittsburgh, PA who paints images from an alternate world. Since 2013, Freyer has been showcasing work in Pittsburgh and has participated in numerous shows throughout the U.S. Freyer has a show opening Friday, July 12th at Ketchup City Creative (612 Main St, Sharpsburg, PA 15215).
PETRICHOR 
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