Graham E. Clarke
I don’t ask you to like my art, but I do ask you to react.
I’m a Jekyll and Hyde when it comes to art. My paintings are dark, featuring robots and monkeys juxtaposed into human form. My photography focuses on urban beauty that hides the human footprint, and my music encompasses both extremes, from alt-rock to ambient.
When I think about why there is a clear divergence in my art and music, I trace it back to my roots in Northern England, juxtaposed with my emigrating to California when I was 16. My feet are planted in both cultures: gritty working-class Yorkshire and unbridled, optimistic California. I once had a teacher tell me, “The trouble with you, Clarke, is you think you are special.” Then I moved to California, where we are all “Special.” Jekyll and Hyde, special and not special.
I didn’t start painting until COVID helped me put down my corporate tools and explore my artistic side. I am, at heart, an old punk, a musician, and an artist, thumbing my nose at conformity. My artwork is done quickly, and I embrace my A.D.H.D., move fast, and create things.
Contact
Graham
Photography
The Key to Good Photography is to be aware of your surroundings and be in the present. Ultimately, what you capture is how you see the world.
Art
I miss the old punk rock ethos. It was not about the money, the brand, the number of likes, the recognition, or the equipment. It's about making a statement, eliciting a reaction. I’m reminded of one of my favorite songs by The Godfathers, ‘Birth, School, Work, Death,’ which celebrates the four stages of life in a cynical, catchphrase chorus.
I’m all about the in-between bits, the time not occupied by what you should be doing but what you see in the moment.
