Sean Norvet
Compound Butter
At 27 years old, Los Angeles Native Sean Norvet has already amassed an impressive body of work. In the past three years he has been featured in 17 group shows, 19 publications, held his first solo show, and was recently chosen to be Brand Ambassador for Winsor & Newton Oil Paint. On top of being incredibly talented, Sean is also arguably one of the nicest guys in the business. Through the use of pop culture, junk food, and humanoid beings, his art brings forth a visceral reaction that toes the line between humorous and disturbing while forcing us to examine our own cultural habits and consumerist desires.
First off, congratulations on your first solo show! What was the process like preparing for it?
Thanks! Since it was my first exhibition I wanted to go all out. I decided to make mostly large-scale pieces which were pretty time consuming. I worked on one piece at a time, with each taking about a month. The largest piece took about 2 months. There was a lot of pressure to finish on time, but I was stoked with the group of work I had in the end.
I saw that in your newest paintings you’ve started incorporating things such as spackle, chalk and cement. How was that transition for you?
Yeah, originally I wanted to bring a little bit of environment into the paintings, and thought it’d be fun to use some non-traditional mediums. I tend to paint really smooth and light, so the balance between the two was interesting to me. There might be some more transitioning in the future, we’ll see.
How do you see your work evolving over the next year or two?
In the next couple of years I’m picturing more dimensional aspects in the work. I’m really enjoying the idea of paintings with some sculptural elements. Besides that, I’m going to try and evolve naturally and keep pushing my limits and make work that’s fun for me.
Food really seems to play such an important role in your paintings. This may be an obvious question, but why is it almost always included?
My family has always been obsessed with food, and I think I picked it up through them. My sister is a private chef, and my dad grubs hard. Mostly, it’s the importance it has in everyone’s life. It’s one thing that is universally enjoyed and it’s necessary for survival. Also, it’s a diverse subject matter. There are so many different types of food, a lot of stuff to mess around with.
READ THE REST OF THIS INTERVIEW AND SEE MORE OF SEAN'S WORK IN ISSUE TWO
