Artist Spotlight Series: Blayne Macauley

April 23, 2018

Artist Spotlight Series: Blayne Macauley

Abstract Art, Abstract Expressionism, Art, Artist, Artist Spotlight Series, Artist Spotlight Series Feature, atlanta, Blayne Macauley, Georgia

This post is long overdue. I have watched this talent rise as a Southern star.

You will certainly want to watch this one.

Enjoy getting to know

Blayne Macauley

Atlanta, Georgia

What is your training?

I went to high school in Atl, GA and took every single photography class they had. I had finished the entire curriculum by 11th grade, and the only other option was AP studio art senior year. I knew nothing about painting, so I spent the summer between my Junior and Senior year in Venice, Italy doing an oil painting intensive. I went on to study studio art and photojournalism in college and have worked as a photographer and painter since then.

What inspires you and your designs?

Life and storytelling are my biggest inspirations. I love the concept of cave paintings and using the tools at your disposal to leave an account of you life and proof you lived.

What is your favorite piece?

It’s so hard to pick a favorite piece because it’s the work that inspires me so much more than the final product. It’s getting the opportunity to tell the story. I do have a little trouble letting go of pieces that are extremely intimate or where I learned something really important about myself or my process. This piece is probably my current favorite because it tells the story of a camping trip I went on as a teenager. I love all the tiny stories going on in the background and then the overall feeling of calmness you get by looking at it as a “Bird’s eye view.” Finding calm in the chaos is one of my favorite things to be able to do as an artist.

How has the your area influenced your work?

I’m so in awe of the movement happening among Southern artists right now! It seems like the best place to be living and working. I love the work coming out of Charleston, Birmingham, New Orleans and Atlanta! I’m so inspired by that. I also pull so much inspiration from summer nights spent outside in south Georgia with my cousins. We did a lot of riding in trucks on dirt roads, sitting around campfires and hanging out on the Flint River. I’m so proud that I got to live those experiences. I’m SO proud to be Southern and to be able to represent what being Southern means to me.

What is your favorite restaurant in Atlanta?

I love anything Chef Kevin Gillespie touches! He is so creative and inventive! I also love Stephen Satterfield’s work and all the restaurants by the Castellucci Hospitality group.

My three best girlfriends and I are regulars at Houston’s. It’s impossible to be raised in Atlanta and not love Houston’s.

What is your favorite cocktail?

It’s so basic, but I usually drink Vodka, soda, a splash of OJ and two limes.

How do you balance personal life and work?

It’s so hard and something I struggle with a lot. I love working and am kind of a workaholic to be honest. I love that my studio is in my house so I never have to be too far away from my kids and husband. I also try to take as much time off on the weekends as I can. I love the evening routine with my kids and rarely miss it. My kids are at such a fun age, and I love seeing life through their eyes.

Dream trip?

I want to go back to Venice and take my husband. I want to talk him through all those magical experiences. I want to have a drink at Harry’s bar and champagne in San Marco. I really want to go during the Biennale since it’s my favorite art event in the world.

Dream commission?

I’d love to work with Diane Keaton, Ellen Degeneres or Nancy Meyers.

Your favorite host / hostess gift to give?

Any of these candles at Dixon Rye. They’re the ABSOLUTE best!

Who is your style icon?

As far as interior design icons – I love Sean Anderson, Melanie Turner, and Bradley Odom, Sherry Hart and Helen Ballard.

If the Olsen Twins and Helena Bonham Carter had a baby it would be my fashion icon.

Your favorite up and coming artist?

What is your most treasured possession?

My engagement ring. It’s very old and has a lot of family history. I feel so honored to get to wear it. I also really love being my husband’s wife, and I think about what a privilege that is every time I see it.

What are you reading?

“The Astonishing Color of After” by Emily X.R. Pan. It’s about turning grief into art, which is something I’ve experienced.

What are you listening to?

I love podcast so much. My current favorite is Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard. It’s really hitting home the fact that success comes from a lot of hard work and doesn’t magically happen. My friend Tom Bond just launched a new podcast about movies called “How’s that Day” that I love.