About
Blake Brasher grew up in North Pole, Alaska and began painting at age three. He has spent a lot of time studying great paintings—by Andy Warhol, Willem de Kooning, and Roy Lichtenstein—and says that in order for a painting to be great, it has to offer something new each time a viewer returns. The newness in Blake’s work springs from his playful approach to identity and transformation; in his paintings, abstracted elements that appear unconnected often turn out to be iterations of a single organism or idea, as a seed is to a plant or a caterpillar to a moth.
For Blake, the real fun comes in applying this lens to a society characterized by rapid technological change—where seemingly overnight Facebook, Twitter, and iPhones became ubiquitous. On his canvas, the idea of the iPhone, or any new technology, quickly moves from what it is to what it could become. Thus viewers of Blake’s work might track a line as it becomes a motor in one painting, an omniscient eye in another, and in a final piece, a tunicate that ties itself to a rock and, upon reaching sexual maturity, consumes its own brain.
Blake’s art is internationally collected and publicly and privately exhibited in the U.S., Romania, and Germany. He has studied painting at Harvard and Carnegie Mellon University, and holds a B.S. in Art and Design from MIT (’03). Although his childhood was filled with moves—before he left for college, Blake and his family lived in Oklahoma, Turkey, Texas, Alaska, and Arizona—he has lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts since 1997, where his studio is currently located. Blake’s primary interest is painting, but he is also an accomplished robotics engineer, owner of a screen-printing company called Solid State Circus, and has had a decade long career as a living statue street performer. If you have spent much time in Cambridge, MA you may have seen his White Angel in Harvard Square.
So I am a total internet stalker and I follow you on twitter and generally pay attention to what you post and I must say that you are a bit of a hero for me. Your art is awesome. I’m terrible with words.
Keep doing what you are doing, it’s beautiful.
Hi Hannah, I’m so flattered. Thank you!
[...] the other hand, other statues write blogs like this one, this one, and this one (from which you can find the author’s online dating profile), all of which [...]
I have been a full time artist since November of 2008. Prior to that I worked at a robotics company called Boston Dynamics. My title was Robotics Engineer, and I mostly did electrical engineering for the Big Dog project. I had a great time at Boston Dynamics. This is what my last day was like:
+1
Blake~ I was visiting in Cambridge last week and was waiting to meet some friends in Harvard Square when I saw you setting up for your performance. I was a good 25 yards away when I first saw you preparing the platform that you stand on. I could see that you were being very meticulous about how the white silky material was draped and folded and I thought to myself that something fairly significant was going to happen at that spot. I was right! I walked over to your location and although you were busy, you were kind enough to answer my questions about the wings that you use in your performance. I was truly impressed how one could take PVC tubing, assorted fittings, wire, carboard, paint and a whole lot of talent and create something with such a spiritual impact. I was able to get back to the square to witness the end of the performance that evening and I thank you for extending your time so I could take a few photographs to help me remember this event. I’ve seen Performance Art similar to yours in Las Vegas, but you have taken it several levels beyond what I saw there. Thank you again!
My 4 yr old son loves your street performing act – we live close to Harvard Sq. and walk through there a lot. We saw you yesterday and he talked about it all night. He took one of your business cards (creative) and told everyone, “I have the Angels phone number and address” – boy was he thrilled and proud. Keep up the good work – you’re very talented!
You might not be surprised but I got here because of Amanda’s song “Blake Says” (which is one of my favourite)
Just wanted to pass by and say you’re awesome.
Greetings from Chile!
blake says: Hi Hannah, I’m so flattered. Thank you!
so THAT’s what blake says!
Hey Blake,
I googled my name and found your work some time ago! Wow, you are really talented! My name is also Blake Brasher and I only wish I had your kind of talent!