New, Bruce

Born in Somerset, Kentucky, in 1970, artist Bruce New now lives in nearby Richmond, where his wife is a public school art teacher. New is a self-taught artist. Though he worked at a variety of occupations in his youth, he was always drawn to art, and has been focusing on it full time since about the age of 25, explaining, “I have a compulsive need to make these things, to do this. It ends up going on so long that it just becomes part of your life.” New begins by drawing wings, faces, horses, skulls, and other images, which are then cut out and collaged with forms cut from printed text. New’s greatest source of inspiration is his wife of 14 years, Robin, and his desire to document their life together. Robin’s name provides the source of the bird imagery, wings, and allusions to flight that appear in his work. Other frequent elements are celestial imagery, the hand symbolizing creativity, the letter “R,” and the numbers 1970 and 1975, his birth year and Robin’s. The number 13 refers to the number of years since their marriage at the time the works were completed.