Zac Bendrick is a painter experimenting with expressionism and abstraction. Using bold strokes and color, Zac creates large-scale pieces representing emotional themes and feelings. Bendrick’s work is on display at the Central Resource branch until August 21, 2022.
*
Introduce yourself and describe your work and the media/genre you work in.
Hi there! My name is Zac Bendrick, and I am a painter in my free time when I am not at my job. I am so glad that I am able to share my work locally here in Johnson County and in the Kansas City area. To jump right into my art, I will start by saying most of my work is acrylic painting. Sometimes I like to add spray paint or ink in my more abstract works but for the most part it is all acrylic. The genre that people say I fit into would be expressionism. I paint and portray what I am feeling rather than try to show a realistic scene or reality. I think color and expression is what I work best in. I enjoy the challenge of trying to conjure up things into a visual representation, whether that be something sad, frustrating, happy or exciting that is going on in my head.
Did your studies in graphic design influence your painting style or approach, and if so, how?
I would say not as a whole, it really was just one art class I took that got me to start pursuing painting in my free time. It was an art painting/studio class. From there I would say that got me started trying things out on my own by figuring out what brushes and tools I liked as well as canvas, paints and techniques.
What role does color play in your work?
Color in my current paintings play a big role, as I use them for anchoring key parts of the faces. I use red mostly for noses and then manganese blue for the hair. Since I am experimenting and pushing my work into more and more areas of abstraction, I wanted to leave some familiar things so people can recognize them.
Who are other artists you look to for inspiration?
I would say the artists I look at and listen to their interviews would be George Condo and Jenny Saville. Really that's about all I have tried looking up to be honest. I am in the same school of thought with what they have discovered about art and what makes them paint and create these magnificent pieces. I will also note that it wasn't until I already had defined my style that I started looking at artists seriously for inspiration. I worked in abstract gestural paintings before my portraits so I had no idea who they really were before.
What is your most important artistic tool? Is there something you can’t live without in your studio?
I would say my most important artistic tool is my light! I just purchased a new really bright light after I got my first show completed. I realized when I took them out in the sun they looked a lot different then when I was painting them inside. So making sure I know what color I am using and how it looks in relation to all the others is the most important thing for me.
What books, movies and/or music have inspired you recently?
I would say music is something that I pull a lot of inspiration from. I barely listen to music on my own time because I get so distracted if I'm working or trying to focus on something else. When I paint I can listen to music worry free and make my color choices and composition changes then. Looking at my spotify playlist just now I see artists: Miike Snow, Hayley Williams, Gorillaz, SHAED, Taylor Swift, ABBA, Joe Hisaishi, Brandi Carlile among some other artists.
