Interview with Glenn Arthur

By Daniel Rolnik On September 26, 2011

Glen Arthur is a self-taught artist who lives in Orange County [CA]. I found out about his work through the twitter group #FridayNightArtDorks, where he posts sketches of paintings he is in the midst of working on; usually beautiful and seductive portraits of women. In addition to focusing on his own work, he helps guide others as the head of the Anaheim chapter of Dr. Sketchy’s – a radical figure drawing group. We got into the nitty gritty of his favorite artistic tools and I was shocked to find out that over 40 people have his imagery tattooed on them!

Daniel Rolnik: I noticed in that your studio has mirrors right in front of where you paint, why do you have them there?

Glenn Arthur: I love mirrors! I work in a fairly small space so mirrors really help to open up the room. I also like to look at my work in the mirror while it’s in progress. Sometimes looking at it backwards can help you see something that needs improvement that you may not have noticed otherwise.

DR: What’s your favorite kind of wood to paint on?

GA: Birch wood! It’s very smooth and has great grain. I also like the pale color of it.

DR: Which tools are your must haves when making sketches and paintings?

GA: For sketches I have to have my mechanical pencil and my kneaded eraser. When I paint I always use soft body acrylics and small brushes. I’m a sucker for detail work!

DR: What’s been one of the most memorable things that’s gone down during your Dr. Sketchy’s class?

GA: Last Halloween we had a zombie themed Dr. Sketchy’s with two zombified models. It was way too much fun. Blood, brains and body parts everywhere! The gallery was packed out and everyone had a great time.

DR: What’s the art scene like in Orange County? Are there any galleries that you feel are worth visiting and don’t get enough respect?

GA: The art scene in Orange County is making leaps and bounds. So many amazing new artists and galleries are popping up all over the place. My personal favorite of course is the Rothick Art Haus gallery in Anaheim. I had my first solo show with them and it’s where we host Dr. Sketchy’s Anaheim Chapter. Their shows get packed out and they’re the first stop during the A.C.E. (Art Crawl Experience) events that go on in that area.

DR: What made you decide to stop the Ghost and The Banshee series?

GA: The series was kind of a spin off from the original Ghost character that I had started with a year earlier so I had actually been working on it longer that it seems. I felt like I had gone as far as I could with both characters without overdoing it. Although I may do a single resurrection piece of the two ladies in the near future.

DR: How did you get involved with #FridayNightArtDorks?

GA: That’s all Chet Zar right there. That man is a brilliant artist in all senses of the word! He started the twitter tag and I loved the idea so I jumped on board. I’m definitely a dork and I would totally prefer to spend a Friday night working on a painting rather than painting the town red!

DR: How many people have your work tattooed on them? Does that weird you out?

GA: I’m not sure of the exact number but it keeps growing. I have a photo album devoted to tattoos of my work on my Facebook fan page and I think there are around 40 so far. It does kind of trip me out, but it’s such a huge honor!

DR: What attracts you to hummingbirds?

GA: I’ve just been crazy fascinated with them since I was a child. They’re like these magical little creatures that are there and gone in a flash. I always wanted to have one as a pet, but that’s pretty much impossible – so I paint them to keep them around me.

DR: What subculture do you identify most with?

GA: I’m a pretty strange guy sometimes. I’ve gone through all kinds of subculture phases. But I mainly gravitate toward anything with a bit of a darker side. I love genres like Goth, Industrial, Neo-Victorian, Steampunk, etc.

DR: How were you able to build up your facebook presence to have 10,000+ likes?

GA: I have no idea, but I’m absolutely thrilled! I’m all about shameless self-promotion so that could have something to do with it. And I definitely always try to respond to my followers. I can’t thank them enough for the support.

DR: Why is it important to you to show the progress of your work and not just the finished piece?

GA: I love to see art in progress from other artists so I figured I should show mine as well. People like to watch things grow and I think that remains true for art. It also seems to build up anticipation for the finished product.

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Answers & Artwork by: Glenn Arthur
Questions by: Daniel Rolnik

Photos by: Shelly The Illustrated Librarian

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