I met Clam Lynch at the downtown Farmer’s Market this summer
when he was hawking his wares, and I was just blown away by his work. Never before have I been so moved by a set of
paintings. And yes, I realized that’s a
big claim, but it is completely true. I’m
enchanted by his bold, energetic style; it is bright and exciting and often
really funny. I haven’t yet decided on
which painting to buy first, but its just a matter of time. Anyway, I like his art so much that I wanted
to take a little time to get to know him and try to introduce him to as many
other folks as possible. That’s the name
of the game here with this silly little blog of mine- to celebrate the handmade
and homegrown any way that I can.
Clam turned out to be quite a character with a really
captivating history. At 15, he left home
and joined a performance art group that took him around the world. At a show in New York City, a fellow from the
fledgling Nickelodeon network saw him and brought him to LA. This served as a springboard to a 12 year
career as a Production Designer for film and tv. He also did his fair share of performing- his
one-man comedy show entitled “Cut the Crap” (about a dysfunctional motivational
speaker) caught the attention of Rosanne Barr (yes, the Rosanne Barr). He even
went so far as to partner with her production company to develop a tv pilot. Whew!
He’s also a children’s book author- Ruby Gloom’s Keys to Happiness hit
the shelves in 2004.
But, let’s revisit his painting- for the time being, at
least. In San Francisco, he established
and operated the 63 Bluxome Street Art Gallery, where he displayed and sold his
paintings. It seems like it was a sweet
setup, but ultimately he relocated to Salt Lake on account of some important
family ties. That was 1 1/2 years ago. He’s been creating art the whole time, and
that is how he makes his living, but- wait for it- he has a really big vision
for something even greater.
Clam uses reclaimed materials of all kinds for his paintings
and other artworks, and it is exactly the kind of waste-not-want-not value that
most of us can easily get behind. An
inveterate scavenger, he has personally kept literally tons of old barnboards
and the like out of the landfill. Now
let’s add in the fact that he has taught art classes to kids on and off for
more than a dozen years, and voila, you have the essence of the organization
that he calls Art Salvage. He envisions
a space full of great recycled materials that artists can purchase for pennies
on the dollar, and where kids from the age of 6+ can come to get creative.
The most robust iteration of his plan
includes an attached gallery space so that kids and other artists can display
and sell the work they make in-house.
Pretty great, right? What’s more,
this isn’t just a pipe dream- the project has momentum and he’s working
side-by-side with a prestigious arts group in Salt Lake to finish up attaining
non-profit status for the venture. His
next goal is lining up a space- so if anybody has any thoughts, holler. I’ve spent plenty of time listening to people
spin yarns that you can just tell aren’t going to materialize- heck, sometimes
I’ve been the one doing the talking- but this wasn’t one of those bull
sessions. I fully expect to see Art
Salvage materialize and do a lot of good for a lot of people in the Salt Lake
valley.
So right now, Clam is one busy guy- he’s painting up a
storm, and he’s spearheading what will certainly be one of the most exciting
arts initiatives in the region that I can imagine. I encourage any interested parties to visit
Clam’s Facebook page for up-to-date info on his paintings and other works of
art. https://www.facebook.com/ClamLynch
He’s also got a fun website at www.clamlynch.com which showcases a lot of
his older performance-related stuff. If
you’re interested in communicating with him about Art Salvage, his paintings, or anything else,
find him on Facebook or at clam.lynch@gmail.com
Just for the fun of it, I'll add a couple of more pics below- and in case you're interested, his prices are very reasonable. And that's coming from a confirmed tightwad. I've seen pieces that I'd LOVE to own for under $200. If you want to make my year, you can do it for under $400. I just built a new fireplace mantle for our home that needs something great to go above it. Hmmm...
