Spotlight: Andrew Truhan
We are excited to spotlight a highly creative member of the Newstalgia community - Andrew Truhan.
A longtime friend, Andrew grew up fascinated with art and soon enough became a very talented mixed media artist. We asked him to highlight some of his favorite pieces along with answering some questions to provide some insight into his process, his thoughts on Newstalgia and what kind of media he's consuming at the moment.
1. What was your introduction to visual art and how did you get into drawing?
- I was intrigued by the paintings in my house and in my grandparents’ house at an early age. A couple of them were particularly hard to process then but I remember liking the feeling of not understanding or being able to explain what I was looking at. That feeling became stronger as I got older and sought out different kinds of media rooted in abstraction, and I eventually felt compelled to try to make things in that vein during my free time in college.
2. What has been influencing you recently, that can be seen in your art?
- Movies have had the biggest influence on me, been watching tons of them recently. I’ve realized that my favorite directors are ones with filmographies that are a bit all over the place but have the ability to make it apparent you’re watching one of their movies regardless of the genre or subject matter being explored. In that respect, I use different mediums for the sake of mixing things up and because I’m not well versed in one area.
3. What is your process like and how has it evolved over time?
- Rather than using images for reference like I used to, everything now stems from a personal experience or inclination. I designate some time out of most days to fool around in a sketchbook in a stream of consciousness manner, just throwing stuff at the wall. More often than not, nothing worthwhile comes from it, but every once in a while, an idea will stick and I’ll think hey alright, this is something I’d like to expand on or revisit at some point. The process I just described and the end results from it aren’t groundbreaking but there isn’t a right or wrong way to go about most creative pursuits. It would be boring if everyone had the same approach or point of view.
4. What does the word "Newstalgia" mean to you?
- My initial thought is anything contemporary that makes you nostalgic for something similar in the past. Could be a new iteration or take on something that was lost to time. Think we see cycles of that throughout pop culture with older trends being recontextualized by adding modern elements to them.
5. What are some good discoveries you’ve had during the pandemic?
- Up Close and Personal (podcast)
- White Noise (book)
- Inside (video game)
- The Dress Up Gang (show/group)
- The Wailing (movie)