Today we’d like to introduce you to Rine Boyer.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I’ve always been interested in art – apparently since I was a young girl when I told my mom that I wanted to be the one making the pictures in the books she was reading to me. I grew up in Buffalo New York and found trips to the local museum called the Albright Knox inspiring. One of my favorite pieces was a giant Chuck Close portrait in the permanent collection. I loved how the piece was photorealistic from a distance, but as I got closer I started to see the grid of different colors and shapes. As I got older I started painting and drawing more and more and learning how to express myself visually.
Art has always been a focus in my life, so after college in Portland Oregon I moved to Chicago to figure out how to be an artist. I decided to go to Chicago over New York because of the history of The Chicago Imagists. I remember when I first came to Chicago the city seemed so big and inaccessible. But I started going to openings and getting involved in group shows and because Chicago is such a friendly city I got to know artists throughout the city. I ended up discovering Bridgeport by responding to a Craigslist ad for a studio with a room and fell in love with the neighborhood. A few years later I got a studio in the Zhou B Arts Center and have been there ever since.
There’s definitely been some struggles along the way. I almost gave up a few years back frustrated that I wasn’t finding an audience for my art, but the day after I had decided it was time to make painting just a hobby I was approached by a gallery in Taiwan to have a solo show with them. That break gave me the confidence that I have something to say and to focus on saying it as best as I can with my work. I’ve since started working with the Elephant Room Gallery in Chicago and Graphite Galleries in New Orleans and shown my work all over the world.
Please tell us about your art.
People have been my subject matter for the past 15 years or so because I believe that all artwork is ultimately about people. Even if it’s a landscape piece it’s still about how people think about the land. Or if it’s an abstract piece it’s about how a piece makes people feel. So since there is so much to say about people they have remained my subject matter.
Broadly my work asks the question, “How do we see each other? Through which lens? What is our own thoughts, and what is someone else projecting?” And I do this through exploring gesture and culture. So my figures always represent something more than the individual. It could be the culture that the person represents, or a state of mind that a gesture shows.
I add a layer of small iconic shapes over the surface of my portraits to capture the act of seeing people through the lens of our own thoughts and understanding. The shapes work almost like my own language and convey my thoughts by linking the figures to the underlying theme of a series.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
Making sure I always have a good space to make art and consistently set aside time to paint has been what works for me. I once asked a well-known artist what their advice is, and to paraphrase they said it is important to keep moving yourself forward. I thought that was great advice.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I am represented by Elephant Room Gallery in the South Loop, so you can see my work there when I have a show. I also have a studio at the Zhou B Art Center which has open studios and exhibitions every 3rd Friday of the month.
Contact Info:
- Address: Zhou B Arts Center, Studio 307B
1029 W. 35th St., Chicago IL 60608 - Website: rineboyer.com
- Email: info@rineboyer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rineboyer/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rineboyer
Image Credit:
Rine Boyer
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