Brad Blackman

About Brad Blackman

Bio

As a fine artist making a living as a graphic designer, I am always looking for ways to make everyday things special and accessible to everyone. I have carried some form of sketchbook since I was two, and still draw constantly, whether for paintings, logos, websites, or corporate brochures, employing a philosophy of simplicity and a love for life. My design work is intended to communicate directly and simply, and my fine art aims to reveal everyday beauty. Although I have always had an interest in both art and design since I was very young, I have been practicing both disciplines seriously since 1999, staying on top of trends in both areas. I graduated from Harding University with a BFA in Graphic Design in 2001. Since returning to the Nashville area, I have been affiliated and shown work with Untitled Artists Group and participated in a few shows at Plowhaus.

Statement

Since I was a small child, I have drawn as compulsively as everyone else breathes, and I’ve always carried a drawing materials of some kind, rearranging and recording what I see, think, hear, and feel.

I find great joy and excitement in the little things in life, driven by simple pleasures. I am attracted to the geometry and architecture of everyday things. I always look for the things that are easily overlooked, things that are ordinary yet beautiful in their austerity, form, and function. Beauty can be found in unlikely places, from highway overpasses to enormous steel letters from a bygone era.

The ordinary things I portray in my paintings are sometimes testaments to the human will to push onward in the name of commerce, transportation, and communication. Other times these ordinary things are exactly what break down man’s efforts: nature prevails with grime, weeds, and dirt. The contrast can be at once beautiful and frightening.

In my design work, my philosophy is that good, compelling design will support its intended message. An equal blend of form and function will result in strong, effective design that communicates efficiently. If a design is beautiful but doesn’t communicate something to the recipient or otherwise compel him to do something, it has failed. Therefore, my design work demonstrates an effort to “communicate, not decorate.”