Studio Visit: Zach Storm

March 21, 2013

Written by Sara Barnes

Zach Storm’s studio is located in a tree-line neighborhood at the edge of Baltimore City. It seems to be a peaceful setting, full of detached single-family homes. Here, in a large shed (with no heat!) is where Zach keeps his studio. Personally, I’m jealous; his space has amazing natural light, airy, away from distraction. It really feels like a place to escape.

I first wrote about Zach’s work after I saw these paintings in a show at MICA. They are vibrant and glitter-full (Literally. He used glitter spray paint in these works on paper.):

Looking at his work then (2012) to now (2013), I still see the same artist’s hand, but with his new series of works, they are more refined. Zach said he has a tendency to overwork things, and the paintings currently in his studio are a result of the systems of he’s created when working. This guards against this inclination. The paintings are worked on simultaneously and sequentially in an orderly fashion, and give Zach the freedom to move from piece to piece if he’s frustrated or feeling stuck.

Currently, these paintings are on aluminum, using automotive primer, pigment and urethane. Despite my initial assumption that Zach knew a lot about materials, he said he didn’t! The process of learning and reacting to the material reactions with each other is very much apart of these works. At times, he calls the reaction between materials “unnerving,” such as the way the pigment slides or resists primer, but ultimately an important to the painting’s development.

Before I visited Zach’s studio, I went through his past work on his website, writing down words that I associated with his work. I described them using “ethereal” and “splendor” – there’s sort of a whimsy (dare I say) to be associated to those words, which is actually what he tries to capture in these paintings. He said he gets “excited by light shining through the trees,” and tries to replicated emotional states like that. This lead to an interesting discussion. Zach collects old animation cells, specifically the backgrounds. Think of cartoons like Looney Toones or Ren and Stimpy. They have amazing and beautifully painted backgrounds that color fields inspire him. There’s also a rhythm to animation, a repetition and way of working that is akin to Zach’s process, too. Not only that, but the act of painting in a Bugs Bunny cartoon also makes Zach consider the way he works. Watch the first 10 seconds of this clip and you’ll understand:

As someone studying illustration, I loved that reference. I would have never thought of that when looking at his work, but it makes perfect sense.

Zach has his first solo show, Solitare, opening soon at the Johannes Vogt Gallery in New York City. If you live in the area, head to his opening on Thursday, March 28, from 6PM – 8PM. More details on Facebook.