Zach Tutor

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Zach Tutor, I was born and live in Mississippi. I’m an artist, blogger, curator and general misfit.

How did you get the idea to start Supersonic Art? What has it been like building Supersonic Art and growing a following?

Supersonic sort of just happened. There originally wasn’t an idea behind it. In 2008 I was very into the tech world and closely followed the work of Jake Lodwick (he invented Vimeo) who happened to have a Tumblr. I had been blogging about music for several years before hand and had slight success doing that, but Tumblr was easy and it was fun. So, it became a personal blog.

Then in 2009 I took a trip to San Francisco and was deluged with art on every corner and in every window. We just don’t have that in Mississippi. I got back home and realized that I mostly blogged about art–which has always been part of my life, as my Father is the photorealist Glennray Tutor–and I had been drawing since I was able to hold anything. So, I made the switch to only posting about art (it wasn’t that big of a switch). But once I did that it seemed instantaneous the influx of followers that Supersonic began to accrue.

I’ve never felt like I’ve had to grow a following. I just enjoy finding art and posting it. I absolutely love art and I love sharing it. I think, or hope, that’s why people continue to follow each day. They can see that I love it.

What is your curation process for Supersonic?

Well, the way I look at it is that Supersonic is a visual timeline of the New Contemporary art movement, which I define as being the generation of artists who have had the Internet as well as other constant visual stimulus surrounding them for their entire lives. For the Supersonic gallery shows I look at them as physical extensions of the digital library that Supersonic is online. These shows are the best examples, of the best artwork, by the best artists I know of in various mediums, and the deluge of visual information within these shows is meant to be a mirror of that online world. Art is so insanely accessible now, it’s fantastic.

Has operating Supersonic Art helped further your personal art career?

You know, I really try to keep the two separate. My art is definitely not at the level of artists I post or the level I want it to be at, I’ve still got a bit left to learn. And I should definitely do it more often. But Supersonic compliments my work very much.

What is your favorite medium?

I enjoy working with Graphite as, surprise, I can’t see green and mixing colors is terribly difficult for me. I’ve thought of painting in black and white, or just blues before, however, and think it might be something I pursue in the future.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

I draw my inspiration from the sum of all the things I’ve ever known or will know. Everything you come in contact has an effect on you, whether you want it to or not. The good, the bad…you have to use what you’re given and I think all of it inspires me greatly.

What motivates you to continue to create?

The gift that comes from creating. The feeling you get from making art is something profound and divine and will hopefully keep me creating until I’ve used up every bit of myself, simply fading to nothing as I put my last bit of paint onto a canvas.

What are your thoughts on the future of art?

Galleries are incredibly important and will continue to be. Seeing art in person is so much more than seeing it on a screen and that will always and forever be true. With things like Tumblr, which houses millions of artist’s portfolios, constantly feeding more art into the world’s visual cortex, I think we’ll continue to see a merger of all arts, styles and ideas. And that is a beautiful thing. It’s like watching a child grow up.

What is something you have had to learn on your own that you would like to pass on to the next Creative?

Do more everyday. Work harder. Failure is fun because you get to see what went wrong and exactly what not to do the next time around. Don’t listen to what anyone else thinks or take anyone else’s advice, just do what you want to do.