Reuben Rude’s current work can be described as drawings in paint over re-created time-lapse collage. Clean, sculpted lines meet artificially haphazard texture. These images are the culmination of the strange little doodles from a the backs of a thousand spiral notebooks, made during a thousand  5^th period algebra classes . They are made in the spirit of drawing eyeglasses, beard, and devil horns on the historical figures in your American History textbook.  Look close, and you’re sure to recognize a friend or enemy. I was able to connect with him after the opening of DSSF current show “Brown Bag” which was organized by Reuben and featured his works as well as a dozen more SF artists.

What materials do you tend to work with?
I use books, magazines and all kinds of ephemera, as well as acrylic paint, and other acrylic mediums, some spraypaint and other paints on  wood or paper.

Do the materials you use hold significance in your work?
Yes, I use mostly vintage and found materials, and it helps create a feeling of passage of time.

Describe your process of making a new piece.
I usually start with a found piece of wood.  I often coat it with some paint and then sand it to create some texture to start.  I then will start tearing into old books, magazines, newspapers, etc. and collaging the       surface using acrylic matte medium.  I will often stop and let the piece sit for a while, days even weeks.  When I start again, i will usually sand and tear into it a little, maybe spatter it with paint.  When the background is close to done, I usually paint a figure or figures in, often taking images from my sketchbook.  I will continue to collage, sand and spatter, alternating between painting the figure(s) and creating more texture and atmosphere to the piece.  When it looks done, I apply a coat of acrylic UV varnish.

When do you find you are most productive?
I used to say at night, but maybe now it’s afternoon.

What originally sparked your interest in art, and how do you feel it has influenced your personal work?
Both my parents are artists, it’s a family tradition.

If you were to describe your work to someone who has never seen it, how would you explain it to them?
Drawings in paint over re-created time-lapse collage.

I love text, not always what it says, but how it looks.  Letters and characters are beautiful. My process for creating the text in my work ends up being mostly unconscious:  I page through an old magazine or     book, and just start cutting and tearing out words and sentences, and putting them together like those refrigerator poetry magnets.  I am often surprised by the resulting meanings.

How long have you been living in San Francisco, and what brought you here?

-L

More about Reuben

Reuben Rude was born in San Francisco, as the sun was setting on the Free Love era. His bohemian parents then moved “back to the land” to the woods of Northern California, where he spent the better part of his childhood without a television. This lack of technology forced him to spend almost every waking hour drawing and painting. When he moved back to the city to attend art school, he got into all the usual trouble with graffiti writers, skateboarders and art students. He now lives in San Francisco with his wife and eight-year-old daughter, and yes, a television. However, he still spends most of his waking hours drawing and painting. Sometimes he even gets paid for it.

Check out more of Reuben’s work at his website.