Justin Cole
Justin Cole is an artist working in Brooklyn, N.Y. His work touches on the human condition, levels of consciousness, and death. He illustrates these themes through the combination of figurative realism and abstract expressionism. Cole utilizes a refined palette, compressed values, and organic subject matter to steer viewers toward a curated emotional experience while leaving ample room for personal interpretation.
Collect Bean: How do you think your work has evolved?
Justin Cole: My current work combines all the elements I love about painting into a distinctive style. I eliminated color to simplify the visual language and worked solely in grayscale. As I became more comfortable combining abstract elements with realism, I turned my focus to color and introduced additional organic subjects like clouds, flora, and more.
Collect Bean: Where are you currently finding inspiration?
Justin Cole: I find a lot of my inspiration from fellow painters and visual artists. Seeing other artists make good work pushes me to do my best work. But there is so much to be inspired by: the feeling you get after watching a good movie, a touching song lyric, flowers in the park. I strive to make my paintings resonate on that emotional scale.
Collect Bean: How do you approach the balance between experimentation and consistency in your art?
Justin Cole: I bake in time daily to experiment and explore new avenues in my process. Most of this takes place in the form of small studies. Sometimes, when a painting deviates so far from my initial intention, it’s easier to take risks – there’s nothing left to lose. But regardless of what I’m making, I set up parameters so that everything falls in the realm of my work.
Collect Bean: How does where you grew up influence your work?
Justin Cole: I’m from Michigan. It’s hard to articulate, but Midwesterners have a definitive drive that differs from the New York City “grindset.” Maybe it has something to do with the need to prove oneself that you’re more than where you came from.
Collect Bean: Are there any artists or movements that have inspired or influenced your work?
Justin Cole: Different movements inspire me in different ways. I love the precision of a good academic figurative painting, the Impressionists' palettes, and the abstract expressionists' energy. For me, art is all about taking what you like and leaving what you don’t.
