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Eli Sudbrack Learns to Paint

Eli Sudbrack of assume vivid astro focus makes a  multi-layered preparatory diagram for the painting "Cyclops Bride," 2013. Production still from the series ART21 Exclusive. © ART21, Inc. 2014. Cinematographer: John Marton.

Eli Sudbrack of assume vivid astro focus makes a multi-layered schematic for the painting Cyclops Bride, 2014. Production still from the series ART21 Exclusive. © ART21, Inc. 2014. Cinematographer: John Marton.

“If I’m able to spend a whole day just painting, that’s like paradise for me.” —Eli Sudbrack of assume vivid astro focus

Today’s ART21 Exclusive provides an in-depth look at the painting process of Eli Sudbrack, a principal member of the artist collective assume vivid astro focus. Painting on canvas for the first time in his career, Sudbrack and his assistants work with Krink K-60 paints (commonly used by graffiti taggers), though the fast-drying medium poses a challenge when it is applied to canvas. Sudbrack has devised a solution: he paints on layered transparency sheets and replicates the final image on stretched canvas. This two-part process allows him to experiment with different colors, shapes, and patterns—many of which reference the works of other artists such as Marcel Duchamp. Sudbrack’s painting Cyclops Bride (2014) is shown throughout its evolution in his studio, and as a finished painting at The Suzanne Geiss Company in New York, NY.

ART21 Exclusive is supported, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; 21c Museum Hotel, and by individual contributors.

CREDITS: Producer: Ian Forster. Consulting Producer: Wesley Miller & Nick Ravich. Interviewer: Ian Forster. Camera: John Marton. Sound: Ian Forster. Editor: Morgan Riles. Artwork Courtesy: assume vivid astro focus & The Suzanne Geiss Company. Special Thanks: Ulrika Andersson & Christine Wilcox Ackerman. Theme Music: Peter Foley.

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