Artist Spotlight: Andy Gilmore Explores Music Theory Via Art

Informed by music theory, artist Andy Gilmore creates mesmerizing kaleidoscope-like artworks. We got to chat with Gilmore, who participated in our Color :: Field Exhibition, about his process and inspirations. 

Gilmore’s artwork for Color :: Field, Mirror Emergence, is available for purchase exclusively on SuperRare and can be purchased here. 

Your artworks feel very generative, but you’re not a generative artist at all. Could you please tell us about your process and the tools you use to create? 

My process begins in drawing a series of root vector forms that I color, recompose and frame animate in Photoshop. 

You have this very immediately recognizable signature style characterized by geometric shapes, kaleidoscope-like patterns, and rainbow spectrums. How did you come to develop it? 

It was a combination of circumstance and curiosity. In my formative years as I was learning the tools of drawing and design I had a shared interest in music, playing electric and acoustic instruments, listening, reading about music theory and history. 

Having these parallel interests lead to exploring concepts and proportions of musical harmony, melody, scale and modes, rhythm, tone, timbre, tuning and temperament in my graphic work. 

Color is obviously a very integral part of your practice, how do you choose what colors to incorporate into your works? Do you ever consider Color Theory when creating? 

Color decisions are based primarily on moods and intuition than Color Theory. 

One of your bigger inspirations is music. What do you usually listen to when you create? 

I am partial to working to music that is primarily instrumental or heavy on instrumentation and arrangements - David Axelrod, The Meters, Booker T and the MG’s, Adrain Younge, the JB’s, Menahan Street Band, El Michels Affair, Lee Perry, Gábor Szabó, Lee Hazelwood, Ennio Morricone, Scientist, Steve Reich, Ruby Andrews etc. 

Being a musician yourself, do you ever create artworks for the music you make? 

Never. Playing music is more of a practice or redirecting and reorganizing my mind and moods than something I perform, record or produce. 

You describe your artwork as explorations of the physical properties of sound and light. How do you visualize and give form to your favorite soundtracks? 

 It’s a mystery to me. I am simply trying to document the ideas and images that cross my mind. 

Mirror Emergence, on view at Color :: Field, is available for purchase here.