Check Out Brian Somerville’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Somerville.

Hi Brian, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always been interested in making things. I had fantastic art teachers throughout school that encouraged me and instilled an early belief that I could do anything with art. I earned a BFA from the University of Evansville and an MFA from Florida Atlantic University, which set me on the path of teaching ceramics and sculpture. After a few residencies and running a small clay studio, I discovered that I liked teaching, but I was curious about other ways to use my skills and knowledge to build a career. I started working as a sculptor for Weber Group Inc, a construction company in Sellersburg, IN, specializing in theming. I had always been obsessed with theme parks and themed environments as a kid but had never considered that kind of work an option. The work was challenging, fun, and always different.

In 2010, I was introduced to a Cano Ozgener. Cano had recently sold his company, CAO Cigars, and was interested in converting the former distribution warehouse into a contemporary art space. He hired me as an in-house artist to translate the small Meerschaum smoking pipes that had launched his career into large-scale fiberglass sculptures for the grounds of OZ ARTS Nashville. After a year of commuting from Southwestern Indiana, my wife, young son, and I officially moved to Nashville. I continued full-time at OZ for a few years, worked other odd jobs, made new connections, and my wife and I had two more sons. In 2018, I had enough side work lined up that we decided it was worth the risk and founded an artistic fabrication company called The Grit Shop, LLC. At The Grit Shop, I continue my artwork while also helping designers and other artists make their ideas a reality.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has not been smooth, and there have been countless struggles. I’ve always said that if being an artist was easy then everyone would do it.  I’ve supported myself and my family as an artist for almost 20 years, but it has never been easy, and sometimes it hasn’t even been fun. I’ve had clients laugh in my face, I’ve set up and taken down countless exhibits without a single sale, and I even had a 15’ sculpture torn down by an excavator so that the city could run a new sanitation system under the site. Over the years, I’ve learned two very important lessons. The first is that I am an artist. I always have been, and I always will be. In some ways, I don’t even have a choice. Like most creatives, my brain interprets the world differently. I must translate my life and the world around me through my work. Being creative and expressing myself through art is important to my emotional and physical health. The second important lesson is that there is no such thing as balance. If you give time to one part of your life, you are starving everything else.

I’ve always tried to have it all. I strive to be the best father, husband, brother, son, friend, and artist I can be. The reality is that most days, I fail at them all. If I’m in the studio creating new work, it is at the cost of time with my family. When I take a break from my work to reconnect with those that love me the most, the studio progress stops. I can never strike the perfect balance because there is no such thing. The best I can do is be honest with everyone around me, including myself and do the best I can.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My wife and I founded this artistic fabrication company in 2018 to specialize in making adventurous ideas of any scale a reality.  We design, fabricate and install creative projects that extend beyond traditional art.

We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking?
Risk is a complicated topic because, I believe, it varies greatly depending on an individual’s situation. As a 41-year-old white male born to two great parents in the USA, with a loving wife and three healthy kids, I benefit from an incredible amount of privilege. This doesn’t mean I haven’t worked my ass off or taken risks, but it does mean that I’ve always had a kind of safety net that gave me the freedom to push more limits more often. When I’ve put too many eggs in one basket that exploded in my face, I’ve always had supporters that helped me back up. In times that I’ve pushed the pursuit of being an artist too close to the line of madness, I’ve had loved ones waiting to pull me back from the edge. Even in the quiet moments of deciding which direction to take next, there is an unspoken comfort in knowing that even if I screw it all up and fail miserably, I will survive and have help. I clearly understand how fortunate I am to have my life and acknowledge that many do not have access to the same opportunities. All this to say that I take risks every day to be an artist. I put myself out there with every piece, constantly take on projects that put me in over my head and push every artistic experience to the absolute breaking point. I also understand that the stakes are different for everyone, and the realities of life can limit some more than others.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thegritshop.com
• Instagram: @claybeasts -and- @thegritshop