Cecil Eci’Am Gresham, American Digital Artist At Work

American Artist, Cecil Eci’Am Gresham works predominately with painting and mixed media art, but also has a distinct digital photography style, unconventional bold imagery.

His images are an abstraction of facts. He goes beyond the first layer of matter through experimenting and independent study. He studies the ordinary and looks for the marginal aspects of the image and inserts it into another Conceptual realm. His work has been exhibited in numerous group exhibitions such as SOHO Photo Gallery, NY; Limner Gallery, NY; BWAC Gallery, NY; Monmouth Museum, NJ; A Smith Gallery, TX; and Direct Art Magazine.

A:Firstly, can you give me a bit of background about the piece we have in the magazine, Chasing the Dragon?
CG:
Chasing The Dragon is about drug addiction, this term is a bit more complicated than merely “smoking opium”. I’ve been told that it starts when you have your first high, the world is peaceful, everything is perfect, you are numb, but in the best way possible. The high does not last long. Your mind races, you’re pulled out of your dream world. You crave the drug more and more, wanting to feel the same way as you did on your first high. You find a dealer and buy the same amount you had the first time, and smoke. Still feels good, but not as good as the first time. You buy more. The high is fine, but not quite there. You are stuck and you don’t know what to do. You want to go back to that little dream world and stay there forever, but your body is already developing a tolerance for the dragon. You panic. Your life becomes a living hell, all in search of a repeat of the first high. The AbEX Affect was accomplished by using china maker, ink, acrylic paint, a screw and cooking flour.

A:You work in a diverse range of media, tell me how these differ and how that influences the work.
CG: Abstract painting and digital imaging are my preferred choice of media. When I paint, getting started is a confrontation with my creativity. Facing a blank canvas is psychologically mind numbing. The uncertainty of the use of resources being consumed, however, the first stroke of the paintbrush on the canvas wets my creative juices, the uncertainty begins to reside and freedom of thought flows. Digital Imaging allots me an abundance of creative resources. Billions of pixels can be distorted with ease or deleted without depleting resources. Even though the finished work may consume a considerable amount of time in experimentation the creative process is less daunting than painting.

A: What or who is your main inspiration for your work?
CG:
I would have loved to work with Basquiat, Arbus, Bacon, Rouault and Bob Marley. Rouault’s clown images are amazing. Their works inspire my own creative process, whilst developing my distinctive style.

A:What direction do you feel your work is going in next?
CG: Future work would consist of homogenizing the vim of Digital Imaging and AbEX Painting into the creative process in large format imagery.

You can view more of Cecil Eci’Am Gresham’s work at www.eciam.com and in exhibition click HERE

You can also see the artist’s work at Abstract Exhibition, Hartford Art Space, 555 Asylum Ave, Hartford CT from 10 to 26 July

To see his listing in the Artists’ Directory in Aesthetica Magazine issue 59 pick up a copy at www.aestheticamagazine.com

Credit:
1. Chasing the Dragon.
2.Coulrophobia l 18 X 20, Wet Paper, Ink, China Maker, Digital Imaging
3.Coulrophobia ll 11.75 X 22.25, Wet Paper, Ink, China Maker, Digital Imaging