Resin Magazine Interview

RESiNMAG.COM: Where were you Born?
JAY ALDERS: In Lakewood, NJ, about 12 or so miles from the beaches of Jersey.

RESiNMAG.COM: Where do you reside?
JAY ALDERS: I live in Monmouth County, New Jersey, about 1 hour from New York City, 1 hour from Philly and 2 hours from the mountains and right on the beaches of the Jersey shore.

RESiNMAG.COM: How old were you when you realized you had artistic talent?
JAY ALDERS: I’ve always had an interest in art. My parents said I was a toddler when they saw how much I loved to draw.

RESiNMAG.COM: What was your first completed piece of?
JAY ALDERS: I have no idea, I have stacks and stacks of art dating back to when I was a child. When I was a kid I drew the same stuff all little boys draw. Tanks, karate guys, animals.

RESiNMAG.COM: Is that when you knew that was what you wanted to do with your life?
JAY ALDERS: When I was in grammar school we had to write a report on what we wanted to do when we grow up, as all kids do at some point or another. I recently found that report at my folk’s house and it described how I want to be an artist and a businessman. Stoked to have done both, it’s what I’m meant to do.

RESiNMAG.COM: How would you describe your own work in a sentence?
JAY ALDERS: Surrealistic, stylistically unique, artistically dimensional, emotional and compositionally balanced.

RESiNMAG.COM: What style of painting are you and if more than one which one is your favorite?
JAY ALDERS: I love so many styles of art dating back hundreds of years up to modern times. Some of my favorite styles in history are surrealism, the renaissance, neo-classical, impressionism and post-renaissance and of course Surf Art which is a sub-genre of many others.

RESiNMAG.COM: Who are some of your favorite artist?
JAY ALDERS: Since there are so many current artists I love I don’t want to leave anyone out, so I’ll tell you some of my favorites in the history books: Dali, Carravagio, Monet, MC Escher, De La Tour and Ingres

RESiNMAG.COM: Any art schooling?
JAY ALDERS: I have a Bachelors in Arts from Montclair State University, but I didn’t learn anything about painting there, I learned mostly graphics, illustration and photography. Painting I picked up on my own and from some amazing books, museums and many sessions locked in my room.

RESiNMAG.COM: Who inspires you to paint and what you paint?
JAY ALDERS: It’s easy to answer because I paint what inspires me. That’s the beauty about being a professional fine artist, is that you get to paint whatever you want for the most part. No art directors or clients to worry about except when hired for commissioned work. So my paintings speak for themselves. I am inspired by the human form especially curvy women. I am inspired by the ocean and mother nature and her vast amounts of reflections, tones, colors and textures. Surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, guitar and music also is my muse. I paint what I love and love what I paint. Often there are subliminal or underlying meanings beyond the obvious image which parallels to my current life happenings. Each piece speaks to me in it’s own way and has a story behind it.

RESiNMAG.COM: Do you have any advice or wise words for up and coming artists?
JAY ALDERS: Stay true to yourself. Don’t TRY so damn hard to “find your style” or figure out “how can I make money at this”. Yes, all those things are important for a working artist, but if you are not making art for art’s sake, the you will never succeed. Enjoying the process is what it’s all about and it’s that side of it that puts the soulfulness into a piece. Do what you love, don’t copy other artists unless it’s just to learn or try a new technique. Try new things and make your own rules. The money, success and all that stuff will come to you when you have aligned yourself with your inner greatness.

RESiNMAG.COM: What is the most expensive piece you ever sold?
JAY ALDERS: A recent smaller original paintings sold for $5,000. Many of my larger ones are priced between $8,000-25,000 with signed giclée print sales averaging between $150-400.

RESiNMAG.COM: What are you working on right now?
JAY ALDERS: I just finished a new painting, which I’ll be releasing by the time this interview goes live. It’s a surfing piece called “Pot of Gold”. I also have a handful of other paintings which are in the process of being finished. I have a coupe of shirts I just did for Billabong, a new logo I designed for Ted Shred’s Surf Wax Candles and have a 10 foot booth at Surf Expo in January. I currently working out some distribution for the Japanese markets which I am really excited about. In addition, I am in discussions with some big names in the surf industry about doing some exciting collaborations in 2010.

RESiNMAG.COM: Anything you would like to plug?
JAY ALDERS: Shameless plug time eh?  Thanks VonZipper for the super rad box of shades they sent me this month. Shout out to my fine art brush sponsor Trekell Brushes. They are giving all my fans and friends 10% off by using the discount code “ALDERS” at WWW.TREKELL.COM along with a lot of other cool items such as Surf Art puzzles that are also now in Barnes & Noble and posters, prints and surfboards.