A GRANDER VIEW OF LIFE'S STORY
If you made a composite of Mr Rogers, Carl Sagan, Gallileo, and Bob Ross, you might get something that looks a little bit like Rob Rey.
In 2015, I had the pleasure of showing my work next to Rob’s at Illuxcon, and we got to talk about a wide range of things. His interest in topics from scientific to metaphysical was right up my alley. Every question I asked, Rob had deeply thoughtful responses. It was clear that his interest in the nature of the universe was a passion, and he brought these themes of interest into his work with serious consistency and curiosity.
Art with a story, isn’t that what we’re all looking for when we put something on our wall? Rob was on the founding roster of artists here for good reasons, and when we started this blog series, he was one of the first I invited. I knew a little bit about what was under the hood, and I’m thrilled he was willing to share more of these stories here with you.
Enjoy!
– Marc
Curator and Founder, Every Day Original
Hi Rob, let’s get right to the good stuff. What’s the version of your origin story you almost never tell?
I grew up without religion. We also never talked about religion in my family, which left me confused why all of my friends belonged to one, but I did not. I didn’t want one, but it was still confusing. Was I supposed to choose? Did I have to choose?
Feeling like an outcast, this grew into a fascination with belief and why people have faith in Gods. I could see the draw in spiritual connection, but I could not logically believe in a God. It wasn’t until college that I finally understood that living without religion was a normal thing that people do. This helped me to feel a little less like an outcast, but the fascination to understand religion continued.
Over the years, I’ve learned how religion is something humans have evolved with to help tribal groups cohere. This helps to explain that draw to spiritual connection that I and many others feel. As I’ve learned more about the universe we find ourselves in, I’ve come to understand that there are a great many ways to feel a spiritual connection to the natural world as explained by science, without the need for superstition or belief. Living without Gods is still very new for us humans and our culture simply has not yet created the stories to help us feel this connection without them.
Once I came to this understanding, I felt compelled to help create and collect these cultural stories. To make art that you can hang on your wall which reminds you that we are literally made of stardust, or that cellular biology is so astoundingly complex as to be a natural miracle, or that all life on Earth is one giant evolutionary family, or that electromagnetic energy traveling invisibly all around us all the time is basically natural magic, our phones and remotes being our magic wands. Humans live their lives by stories in one way or another. As Darwin said in The Origin of Species, “There is grandeur in this view of life”, we just need the stories to tell us about it.
So then, how would you describe what you make?
Art to help people feel a meaningful or spiritual connection to the natural world without superstition.
Curator’s Note:
It’s usually about here in the article where we feature available work from the artist.
But… Rob’s work has all sold out! He almost always sells directly off of our newsletter.
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Was there a moment, a person, or a place that made you take your work seriously for the first time?
I’ve always been serious about my work (perhaps overly serious). However, I would credit reading the books of astronomer, Carl Sagan, as the largest inspiration that gave me something worth being serious about.
Tell us about a challenge or two that you had to overcome to make the art you make.
In college, I was taught that a good illustration should be able to communicate all it needs to without any words to accompany it. Yet I could not figure out how to communicate the vastness of the universe, or the intricacy of biology in a single image. At least, while still making a beautiful and compelling painting rather than an infographic. I realized I was going to need to write explanations to go with my paintings, and I was going to have to accept that I couldn’t fit my whole concept into the image.
This seems a little silly now as the whole internet knows that writing text to accompany a painting is an essential way to get viewers more deeply involved, but I was struggling with this idea of failing to communicate though imagery before it was basic recommended practice to write something.
What did the people closest to you think when you started pursuing art? What do they think now?
I’ve been ignoring people telling me I can’t make a living at art my whole life. Now they say I shouldn’t because it’s too hard. I still ignore them.
When was the first time you called yourself a professional artist? Why then?
I’m not sure. Probably after my first serious illustration job, but it’s not a moment I remember because it was always my intention, whether I said it or not.
How does EDO fit into your story?
EDO has become an important part of my process. As many know, I sell studies for larger paintings on EDO. Because most of what I paint is personal work without too many deadlines, it’s easy to procrastinate or stagnate on a sketch when I feel stuck. Having a deadline to get a study done for EDO has become an important push on my way to making larger paintings.
Art school or… nah?
I graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in Illustration. It was enormously expensive and did not provide as much of the information I needed as I thought it would. I also learned perhaps just as much or more reading blogs from artists like James Gurney and working on my own after school. That being said, I doubt if I would have reached the point where I am now with out the formal training. I didn’t know what illustration was before I attended RISD, and I needed that direction, at least.
If you could go back and tell your earlier self one thing about the road ahead, what would it be?
There is no magic oil painting medium.
What didn’t we ask about?
Social isolation is a challenge for many people these days. Especially artists who work from home, alone or with only a spouse. Being non-religious cuts off the most common way humans have addressed this issue for most of our recent history. Moving into a cohousing community a few years ago has been a great remedy for me. It’s simply an intentional community with regular townhomes, condos, or houses where the intention is to know your neighbors. Most involve some kind of community meal (potlucks every Friday night for us)!
There are communities all over the place and it’s something other artists might find interesting and helpful. I’m even in the background of the video on the cohousing.org website because they shot the video at my community!
We couldn’t agree more, Rob.
And we love this community of artists, collectors, and fans here at EDO. Thank you, dear reader, for being a part of it!
Rob Rey shows with Every Day Original. You can find his work at