ABOUT
BIOGRAPHY
Travis Braun is an artist, illustrator and educator based in Orem, Utah. His work is strongly influenced by music, (especially rock n roll) graphic novels, and pop culture.
Travis grew up in a small town west of the Twin Cities, MN. He spent much of his childhood drawing monsters and singing Guns N’ Roses’ songs into a hair brush. In high school he played guitar in the rock band Star Larva. After earning his BFA in Illustration from Brigham Young University Travis interned at The Society Of Illustrators (NYC) and with satirical caricaturist Steve Brodner.
Travis is a third generation educator. He has taught at a residential treatment center for youth with learning differences and emotional disorders for 4 years, at a middle school for 7 years and is currently teaching drawing & painting at Lone Peak High School.
When Travis is not teaching or creating art he enjoys spending time with his wife Adrienne and their little monsters Kozette, Ruby & Hendrix.
ABOUT THE ART
PORTRAITS
Travis' portraits combine elements of both his music posters and abstract work. These portraits are the culmination of years of developing and refining this technique. His style is extraordinary in part because his process is so unique and involved. This process includes:
- Creating hundreds of acrylic & watercolor abstract textured paintings
- Scanning the paintings and reworking them digitally
- Printing these abstract pieces
- Painting a thin acrylic wash over the top of the print
- Drawing a detailed portrait with pen & ink
- Using Inktense to improve contrast of value and enhance colors
MUSIC
Travis’ music posters are beautifully crafted and brilliantly conceived. He truly captures the essence of these bands and the music they create. His work is rich with symbolism and hidden meaning. Typically, the more you know about the history of the band and their music, the more you will appreciate the subtle nuances in his work.
In Travis’ own words he describes his journey to reinvent the rock poster:
“As a teenager in the 90’s I spent a good chunk of my paycheck on purchasing CDs. My favorite place to buy music back then was Cheapo, a used music store in Minneapolis. My friends and I would spend hours shuffling through piles of unorganized, used CDs in hopes to find a few gems. In those days I found great pleasure and excitement in viewing the art filled booklet of a newly purchased CD, while listening to the music for the first time. Such an experience would frequently result in me feeling personally connected to the band.
Over the last decade I have noticed such feelings are increasingly more rare, even though I am purchasing more music than ever. I believe one reason for this detachment is, for the past ten years almost all my music purchases have been intangible MP3s. This digital format has physically disconnected me from having that experience of my youth when I heard AND saw the music.
Back in 2011 when Radiohead released The King Of Limbs, I decided to purchase the special “Newspaper” edition. The day it arrived I sat down for over 2 hours to read the newspaper and enjoy the artwork while re-listening to the album. That was the first time in a long time that I felt the excitement of my youth and a tangible connection between art and music.
Since that day I have been striving to reconnect art and music in my life through reinventing the rock poster. I have always had a feeling of nostalgia when it comes to my CD collection, but now I feel these rock posters are connecting me to the music and these bands with an even greater sense of excitement.”
ABSTRACTIONISM
Travis' abstract work combines the tactile, organic beauty of layered paint with a geometric collaged design. Using both traditional and modern mediums & processes has allowed Travis to visually capture the spirit of originality. Contemporary abstract art can often times feel redundant or mundane but Travis' style and approach has produced a truly captivating body of work that will appeal to art lovers and the novice alike.