Looking at the complex abstract compositions that multidisciplinary artist Bradley Collins currently has on display at the Sentient Bean, one could be forgiven for thinking that his work is beyond the reach of us ordinary folk, at least conceptually. Surprisingly, however, the paintings and prints featured in “Found A Job,” the recent SCAD graduate’s wonderful second solo exhibition, come from his time spent grinding in the kind of repetitive, near minimum wage jobs that many of us have had to endure just to make ends meet.
For Collins, that has meant a lot of different things, like picking up bowling pins at the Starland bar Moodright’s, or loading and unloading toy trucks in the middle of the summer heat in Savannah.
“That was miserable, but it’s kind of fun,” Collins said during our conversation for this week’s Art on the Air. “You’re not getting anywhere. There’s always another truck.
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“But you feel good,” he added. “It’s doing something and trying to accomplish it. The adrenaline of like, ‘I’m gonna die in this truck. It’s like 200 degrees and I’m moving Play-doh. And it’s never gonna end.’ And then it ends, and you get to go home, and then wake up the next day and do it again. It’s just interesting in the way that it’s howeverythingis.”
Taking the endless, repetitive, and mindless model he’s experienced in his work life as inspiration, Collins has created a system with which to enact his creative process, as seen in the work in the show.
Behind every piece are two fictional entities, "Boss"and "Laborer,"both of which are played out by the artist himself. The "Boss"follows a set of complex rules that he’s invented to devise a sort of plan for the "Laborer"to follow, which Collins then does without question. This plan is represented by a series of numbers, which also acts as the piece’s title.
“That’s the formula of how to make it,” he explained. “Everything’s done by flipping a coin or rolling dice.
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“Should I start is always the beginning. Should I start, should I paint? If it’s tails then no, if it’s heads then yes.”
From there he uses more randomization to determine how the colors will be laid out, and how complex the piece will end up being. Coming from a background in printmaking, he decided on using the palette limitation of CMYK – which stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black – blending them to offer innumerable options.
“I think just the idea that you could make any color with this process, to an extent, by diluting and beefing up paints, but really just sticking with really solid primaries, I think it’s nice,” he said.
The path to the kind of work Collins has created for the exhibition began simply. Back in 2018, while he was still at SCAD, he had a job in the printmaking studio working four days a week, 4pm to midnight. Due to renovations happening in the building, however, no one ever came in. This led to the perfect blend of creative uncertainty, boredom, and time for the artist.
Taking out a sheet of paper, he began drawing lines, one after another, just attempting to have them not touch, “Kind of like the Joy Division album cover” for the record “Unknown Pleasures,” he recalled. As the days went by the compositions got bigger and bigger, ultimately resulting in the two “Lines in Silence” pieces that are a part of the show at The Sentient Bean. The works are so titled because the artist did them without any outside noise.
“I think I was just at such a weird place that I needed something to work, and so I’m like, ‘I’m gonna do it in silence,’” he said.
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The series has, of course, progressed to include the vast color palette that his randomized system enables. But in essence the latest work still comes from that initial place of creativity that he discovered while spending hours alone in an empty school building.
“The idea of drawing lines, or anything that I do, is what is the simplest thing I could do to make something,” Collins related. “And something that I could keep doing until I figured out what it was that I wanted to do. Lines just seemed like the best way to do that.”
Much like his time spent working in low pay jobs doing menial tasks, the artist just continues engaging with his process, day after day, painting after painting.
“I need this repetition and this meaningless painting to do,” said Collins. “The ending doesn’t matter to me. I just like going through it and have something that takes the time. And it’s just nice to work on something and try and finish it to go onto the next exact same thing.”
“Found A Job” is on view at The Sentient Bean at 13 East Park Avenue now through March 2. To learn more about the work of Bradley Collins check out his website atwww.bradleycollinsart.comor follow him on Instagram @bradley.collins.art.
Artoff the Air is a companion piece to the radio program “Art on the Air” hosted by Rob Hessler and Gretchen Hilmers. The column can also be found atsavannahnow.com/entertainment.
The show airs Wednesday from 3-4pm on WRUU 107.5 FM Savannah and atWRUU.org.
