By Allison Malafronte
Alex Bostic, Sys Sleeping, oil, 29 x 39.
Alex Bostic grew up in Brooklyn, NY, received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration from Pratt Institute, and spent 40 years as a professional illustrator before turning his attention to portrait and figure painting. Working in a variety of drawing and painting media, Bostic now paints subjects of his own choosing imbued with the powerful narrative qualities of his illustration work.
Alex Bostic, Milayla, casein, 9 x 14.
Bostic had several former illustrator friends who helped him navigate the transition from commercial to fine art. During this time, he became fascinated with painting figures and portraits and decided to focus on portraying the African American experience, which he felt was missing from the field. “I noticed that a lot of professional portraits and figure paintings were of aristocrats and the wealthy, so I wanted to paint people of color who would otherwise not have the opportunity, to enhance and elevate their status.”
Alex Bostic, Dupree, oil, 40 x 30.
The artist turned to friends, family, and acquaintances as his subjects, bringing their personal stories and perspectives to light on canvas. The painting DUPREE, for example, captures a time when his son was transitioning to a new career in advertising. “I drove him to New York City for his internship at an ad agency, and then we visited the studios of some artists I know,” Bostic recalls. “I took pictures of him interviewing one of my friends. I was really proud of him in this moment and wanted to paint it because it symbolized the beginning of the rest of his life and career.”
Alex Bostic, David, oil, 18 x 18.
Today Bostic does both illustration and fine-art paintings. When he was writing a paper about artists with such dual careers while earning his master’s degree at Syracuse University, Bostic learned a valuable lesson: “Never change your style. The way you paint commercially is the way you paint in fine art.” To learn more, visit www.alexbostic.com.
Alex Bostic, The Aviator, oil, 18 x 18.
This article is part of the Figuratively Speaking: Figure Paintings to Collect portfolio.