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John Michael Byrd holds an MFA in Studio Arts from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst and is also an alumnus of Louisiana State University, with a BFA in Painting and Drawing. He is primarily a painter, but has also worked in drawing, collage, objects, performance and printmaking. John Michael’s work has been featured in numerous regional and national exhibitions, and he has mounted almost a dozen solo exhibitions in Louisiana, Oregon, Massachusetts and New York. Also, he has been awarded several grants and scholarships, including the J. Kenneth Edmiston Memorial Scholarship and the Carl M. Thorp Memorial Art Scholarship. His work can be seen in the pages of: The Oxford American Magazine, Studio Visit Magazine, Hyperallergic, The Sewers of Paris, Painters on Painting, Kolaj Magazine, The Tulane Review, The Manifest Annual, WordSmiths Literary Review, DIALOGIST, Starry Night Programs Artists To Look Out For, Fresh Paint Magazine, CountryRoads Magazine, Together Underground, 21st Century Queer Artists Identify Themselves, Art Business News, 225 Magazine, The J.O.S.H., The Ivory Tower Magazine and The Advocate. John Michael Byrd’s work is focused on absurdity and the uncanny, in an attempt to resolve the gap between the artificial and the real, juxtaposing appropriated imagery in various media. John Michael works as an Academic Advisor at SVA and is constantly painting, writing and reading Tarot cards in his spare time.
Published on March 3rd, 2024. Artist responses collected in months previous.
What are you working on these days?
This past year, I've been in a recalibration in the studio, finishing work started during the deepest parts of the pandemic. I've been doing a lot of writing and looking at older works of mine. But I am avoiding creating new pieces. I wanted to step back from active production and reflect on what I wanted to do. Permitting myself to do this was very liberating. I recall the famous anecdote of Georgia O'Keefe getting a hotel room to look at all her work until then. To figure out what was wrong or good and what to do next. O'Keefe destroyed a lot of paintings if memories serve and did it to see a new perspective. It is still too early to know exactly what I am getting from this exercise, but it has been enlightening.
What has been going well for you in your art career and life recently?
Well, letting go of old goals has been going well for me. In the abstract, dreams are wonderful, but sometimes, one can get very hyper-focused and lose sight of why we do what we do. A time of reflection would help me metabolize things better. It has been a period of active looking, action pleasure reading, and deep contemplation. Also, as I've stepped back, I'm laughing at old decisions a lot, not necessarily disagreeing with them but gut-busting laughing.
What is something new that you have discovered this past year that is meaningful or helpful for you?
I discovered how much the production of my work fills a lot of my mental space. It blew my mind how much I worked out paintings in my head when I was not physically making things. The compulsiveness drives me to some degree, and I almost had to sit on my hands some days to complete the endurance of not starting new work. I've learned that although we never know how much time we will be given in this life, it is never too late to accept sitting in silence to move forward.
Briefly walk us through your process of making art or thinking through a new project, focusing on what's most important to you as you create.
Considering I've avoided "new" projects this year, it is a funny question to answer. Ideas come from anywhere; what I'm reading, conversations, shows I see, dreams, and overheard conversations can all be a seed point to entire bodies of work. Some ideas come in a flash, while others can germinate for a decade before being ready to execute. I'm always tinkering with my process, which goes from piece to piece and series to series. The most crucial thing selfishly is getting out what I need to get out into the world. I'm hoping I can get more of those messages into the universe in the new year.
Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers?
I'd say I've been at this artist "thing" for a long time now, and if you are too, give yourself the space to unlearn even the rules you set for yourself. I'm still determining where I'm going in the studio (maybe even in life some days); I have some ideas, but I'm open to what that will look like. Focus on your life outside the studio as much as you do inside those four walls daily. It helps to let the walls fall away. Your "real" life plays into your work so much that neglecting that part does a disservice to your work and practice. I'll end with this quote from Brianna Wiest that resonated with me as I read her collection of essays 101 Essays that Will Change the Way You Think: "There is no such thing as letting go; there's just accepting what's already gone. There's losing ourselves in the labyrinth of the illusion of control and finding joy in the chaos, even when it's uncomfortable. It's not forever. It only remains as long as we hold on."
What are you working on these days?
This past year, I've been in a recalibration in the studio, finishing work started during the deepest parts of the pandemic. I've been doing a lot of writing and looking at older works of mine. But I am avoiding creating new pieces. I wanted to step back from active production and reflect on what I wanted to do. Permitting myself to do this was very liberating. I recall the famous anecdote of Georgia O'Keefe getting a hotel room to look at all her work until then. To figure out what was wrong or good and what to do next. O'Keefe destroyed a lot of paintings if memories serve and did it to see a new perspective. It is still too early to know exactly what I am getting from this exercise, but it has been enlightening.
What has been going well for you in your art career and life recently?
Well, letting go of old goals has been going well for me. In the abstract, dreams are wonderful, but sometimes, one can get very hyper-focused and lose sight of why we do what we do. A time of reflection would help me metabolize things better. It has been a period of active looking, action pleasure reading, and deep contemplation. Also, as I've stepped back, I'm laughing at old decisions a lot, not necessarily disagreeing with them but gut-busting laughing.
What is something new that you have discovered this past year that is meaningful or helpful for you?
I discovered how much the production of my work fills a lot of my mental space. It blew my mind how much I worked out paintings in my head when I was not physically making things. The compulsiveness drives me to some degree, and I almost had to sit on my hands some days to complete the endurance of not starting new work. I've learned that although we never know how much time we will be given in this life, it is never too late to accept sitting in silence to move forward.
Briefly walk us through your process of making art or thinking through a new project, focusing on what's most important to you as you create.
Considering I've avoided "new" projects this year, it is a funny question to answer. Ideas come from anywhere; what I'm reading, conversations, shows I see, dreams, and overheard conversations can all be a seed point to entire bodies of work. Some ideas come in a flash, while others can germinate for a decade before being ready to execute. I'm always tinkering with my process, which goes from piece to piece and series to series. The most crucial thing selfishly is getting out what I need to get out into the world. I'm hoping I can get more of those messages into the universe in the new year.
Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers?
I'd say I've been at this artist "thing" for a long time now, and if you are too, give yourself the space to unlearn even the rules you set for yourself. I'm still determining where I'm going in the studio (maybe even in life some days); I have some ideas, but I'm open to what that will look like. Focus on your life outside the studio as much as you do inside those four walls daily. It helps to let the walls fall away. Your "real" life plays into your work so much that neglecting that part does a disservice to your work and practice. I'll end with this quote from Brianna Wiest that resonated with me as I read her collection of essays 101 Essays that Will Change the Way You Think: "There is no such thing as letting go; there's just accepting what's already gone. There's losing ourselves in the labyrinth of the illusion of control and finding joy in the chaos, even when it's uncomfortable. It's not forever. It only remains as long as we hold on."
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