ANTHONY ADCOCK

Anthony Adcock blends his unique experience as a Local Ironworker, collegiate instructor, and artist to create works that focus on the relationship between labor and value. Using hyperrepresentational paintings, illusionistic sculpture, and short films, he distorts the line between reality and perception to question the importance and relevancy of authorship. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Chicago, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the American Academy of Art with a specialization in oil painting, and he is now serving as a full-time faculty member. His work has been published in New American Paintings, Newcity Art, the Examiner, and other publications. His artwork has been collected by 21c Museum, the Liechtenstein family, and many other private collectors, nationally and internationally. Anthony’s work has been shown throughout the country in various galleries and venues, some of which have included Packer Schopf Gallery, Lovetts Gallery, Art Miami, Volta/Armory Show, the Union League of Chicago, and many others. He has contributed to performances for artist William Pope at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and at the Whitney Biennial. Currently, Anthony shows at the Lyons Wier Gallery in New York and with Aron Packer Projects in Chicago. He works out of his studio in his hometown of Chicago.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Working as a Local #1 Ironworker has undoubtedly altered my perception of labor and its relationship to value. Similar to artists, Ironworkers place great value on the process of creating. They laboriously build with pride, gaining financial capital while installing structural steel to reinforce buildings and bridges. Unlike artists, their “artwork” is concealed under concrete. Their work does not accrue cultural capital, nor does it generate discourse around deconstructing the previous model of post-modernism. The structures remain unnoticed and unrecognized as art by passers-by. Connotations of union workers, along with denotations of art, have led me to create works that generate experiences similar to that of a job site, mimicking specific moments of the construction process via Trompe l’oeil painting, sculpture, drawing, installation, and video. The illusionistic quality of the artwork allows viewers to consider the work as found objects or ready-made, generating questions of authorship and production. The artwork may be easily overlooked despite the hundreds of hours required to create. Similarly, high-rise buildings require years of work by hundreds of workers, with no credit given to individual workers. It is difficult to understand why workers are acknowledged in one field and not the other.

Before discovering Natural Pigments and Rublev Colours, I often struggled to achieve certain effects in my paintings. In most cases, the solution was to grind my own paints, which can be difficult and time-consuming. The fillers and additives in other paint brands prohibit certain surface qualities that can only be achieved with Rublev Colours. When painting, I focus on surface gloss and texture as much as value, hue, and chroma. My paintings need to look and “feel” like the surfaces they mimic, so I am very conscious of how I build the surface. Certain pigments simply work better for mimicking certain materials. For example, Lead-Tin Yellow has the perfect consistency and body for mimicking the texture of wood grain. I use Minium (red lead), with a little Oleogel, which makes cadmium orange look like an ocher, for mimicking construction signage and florescent spray paint; Its chroma is truly unmatched. Some of my favorite products from Natural Pigments are the substrates and oil primers they offer. I generally paint on aluminum or copper composite panels. I like to prime ACM with three coats of the Rublev Colours Lead Alkyd Ground. If more texture is needed, I’ll add a layer or two of Rublev Colours Lead Oil Paste Ground. The quality of products that Natural Pigments offers is nothing short of outstanding. Over the past year, I’ve completely transitioned into using only their products.