Blake Nelson Boyd, commonly known as Blake Boyd, (born October 1, 1970) is an American film actor, comedian, and
visual artist
The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts a ...
who lives and works in
New Orleans
New Orleans ( , ,[New Orleans]
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. Boyd was mentored by Andres Serrano
Andres Serrano (born August 15, 1950) is an American photographer and artist. His work, often considered transgressive art, includes photos of corpses and uses feces and bodily fluids. His ''Piss Christ'' (1987) is a red-tinged photograph of a ...
and Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...
Factory manager Billy Name
William George Linich (February 22, 1940 – July 18, 2016), known professionally as Billy Name, was an American photographer, filmmaker, and lighting designer. He was the archivist of The Factory from 1964 to 1970. His brief romance and subsequ ...
in the 1990s. Boyd's visual art takes many different forms of expression including painting, photography, drawing, sculpture, video and installation.
Early life
Boyd was born and raised in Slidell, Louisiana
Slidell is a city on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 28,781 at the 2020 census. It is part of the New Orleans− Metairie− Kenner metropolitan statistical area.
Hi ...
, a small town not far from New Orleans
New Orleans ( , ,[New Orleans]
Memphis College of Art
Memphis College of Art (MCA) was a private art college in Memphis, Tennessee. It was in Overton Park, adjacent to the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. It offered Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts in Art Education and M ...
in 1989 for financial reasons and continued his apprenticeship until 2002.
At twenty-one Boyd met his first significant mentor, New York artist Andres Serrano
Andres Serrano (born August 15, 1950) is an American photographer and artist. His work, often considered transgressive art, includes photos of corpses and uses feces and bodily fluids. His ''Piss Christ'' (1987) is a red-tinged photograph of a ...
, who, knowing Boyd's appreciation of Andy Warhol, introduced him to Taylor Mead
Taylor Mead (December 31, 1924 – May 8, 2013) was an American writer, actor and performer. Mead appeared in several of Andy Warhol's underground films filmed at Warhol's Factory, including ''Tarzan and Jane Regained... Sort of'' (1963) and ...
. This friendship expanded to include other members of the Warhol Factory, including Billy Name
William George Linich (February 22, 1940 – July 18, 2016), known professionally as Billy Name, was an American photographer, filmmaker, and lighting designer. He was the archivist of The Factory from 1964 to 1970. His brief romance and subsequ ...
, Ultra Violet
Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation ...
, Allen Midgette
Allen Midgette (born as Allen Joseph Midgett; February 2, 1939 – June 16, 2021) was an American actor and painter who is perhaps best known for playing Andy Warhol on a 1968 University lecture tour after the artist was shot by Valerie Solanas. ...
, Udo Kier
Udo Kierspe (born 14 October 1944), known professionally as Udo Kier, is a German actor. Known primarily as a character actor, Kier has appeared in more than 220 films in both leading and supporting roles throughout Europe and the Americas. He ...
, Joe Dallesandro
Joseph Angelo D'Allesandro III (born December 31, 1948) is an American actor and Warhol superstar. Having also crossed over into mainstream roles such as mobster Lucky Luciano in the film '' The Cotton Club'', Dallesandro was a sex symbol of g ...
, and Robert Heide
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
.
Career
Hollywood
In the summer of his sixteenth year Boyd took the money from his garage sale and flew to Los Angeles to be discovered for film. There he met, and photographed, another of his heroes, Johnny Carson
John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six P ...
. This was the first of Boyd's celebrity portraits but, unfortunately, not the beginning of his film career as he intended. In recent years Hollywood has come to Louisiana and Boyd has appeared in the short-lived TV series '' K-Ville'', the acclaimed '' Treme'', and the feature films ''Deja Vu'', ''Tribute
A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conq ...
'' and '' Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant'' (in which he is credited as Mr. Afraid of the Ground Man).
Boyd is currently in talks with an established actor/writer/comedian about a TV series based upon Blake's childhood, growing up in Slidell, Louisiana.
Performance art
In the mid-1990s, Boyd custom made a rabbit head that he wore to events in New Orleans and New York, dressed as a rabbit, inspired by "The Space Bunny", a story he wrote in 1978.
In the late 1990s Boyd created the character Andy Clone, as whom he performed, dressed as Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...
, in New Orleans
New Orleans ( , ,[New Orleans]
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, and Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
. The character referenced Andy Warhol creating a robot of himself. Following Warhol's death, The Warhol Foundation did not permit the robot to make appearances feeling that it was too morbid. Blake created Andy Clone to continue Warhol into the 21st century. Billy Name
William George Linich (February 22, 1940 – July 18, 2016), known professionally as Billy Name, was an American photographer, filmmaker, and lighting designer. He was the archivist of The Factory from 1964 to 1970. His brief romance and subsequ ...
has claimed that Andy Clone was cloned from one of Andy's wig hairs.
In May 2005 Boyd took out a two-page advertisement in ''Art in America
''Art in America'' is an illustrated monthly, international magazine concentrating on the contemporary art world in the United States, including profiles of artists and genres, updates about art movements, show reviews and event schedules. It ...
'', a personal letter to Matthew Marks. Some critics appreciated it as art, while others missed the point and did not pick up on Boyd's background of performance and comedic commentary.
In the summer of 2011, no longer with a specific gallery, Boyd conceived and produced Prospect 1.75, an homage/parody of Prospect New Orleans
Prospect New Orleans is a multi-venue contemporary art event in New Orleans.
"Prospect.1 New Orleans" ran from November 2008 to January 2009. Conceived in the tradition of the international biennials, such as the Venice Biennale, São Paulo Bienni ...
. This took place over a five-month period at four locations throughout New Orleans. Actor Jennifer Coolidge
Jennifer Audrey Coolidge (born August 28, 1961) is an American actress known for her roles in comedic film and television particularly in ''American Pie'' film series (1999–2012), ''Legally Blonde'' film series (2001–2003) and the HBO anth ...
was the main curator and invited guest curators for some of the venues. The curators selected retrospective works from Boyd's career along with new pieces complementing the themes. Coolidge personally curated the opening show at Gallery Bienvenu, "My Pinocchio Syndrome for Abigail . . . Ten Years Later. This Ain't Disney Jeff." Her curatorial statement was, "I really don't get this stuff." For the second exhibition, at the Coup d'Oeil Gallery Warhol Superstar Holly Woodlawn
Holly Woodlawn (October 26, 1946 – December 6, 2015) was a transgender Puerto Rican actress and Warhol superstar who appeared in the films '' Trash'' (1970) and '' Women in Revolt'' (1971). She is also known as the Holly in Lou Reed's hit glam ...
curated "The Batman Years.". Coolidge was invited to present Blake Boyd's artwork for the rock and roll band Supagroup
Supagroup is an American rock and roll band from New Orleans, Louisiana. Their current lineup includes vocalist and rhythm guitarist Chris Lee, lead guitarist Benji Lee, bassist Brian "Bruiser" Broussard, and drummer Leon Touzet. Chris Lee is ...
at the closing party for White Linen Night .
Prospect 1.75 closed with the opening of the exhibition "Super Man Burger King" at Nadine Blake's French Quarter location, October 28.
Work
Blake Boyd's work employs ancient and contemporary techniques, drawing upon traditional and modern icons. His art takes many forms, including paintings in clay, sculpture, photobooth photography, video, and site-specific installation. Collectively, all of these are components of a twenty-year conceptual artwork that Boyd views as two "visual" operas. The first opera, ''Fidelio'', began in 2001, and is a visual diary of Boyd's travels, from his visits with celebrities from Andy Warhol's Factory in New York City, to his escapades in New York and London nightclubs. The second opera, ''Romantika'', is inspired by and dedicated to a hometown love interest, whom Boyd credits with mending his broken heart. Each opera will consist of a series of eleven separate exhibitions, totaling twenty-two exhibitions in all. Since 2005 Boyd has exhibited smaller installations, ''Chamber Music'', whose themes complement and support the opera.
Painting
Boyd began painting professionally in 1987 with oils and acrylics on canvas. His apprenticeship that same year introduced him to the pre-Renaissance technique of water gilding
Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was trad ...
. Boyd uses his skill with the historic technique to reinterpret present-day icons and themes in an unfamiliar scale and setting to tell a story through their associations. The traditional medium also evokes reference to religious icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most c ...
ography and calls into question contemporary values.
Photography
Boyd has improved his technique since 1987, learning from his mentors Andres Serrano
Andres Serrano (born August 15, 1950) is an American photographer and artist. His work, often considered transgressive art, includes photos of corpses and uses feces and bodily fluids. His ''Piss Christ'' (1987) is a red-tinged photograph of a ...
and Billy Name
William George Linich (February 22, 1940 – July 18, 2016), known professionally as Billy Name, was an American photographer, filmmaker, and lighting designer. He was the archivist of The Factory from 1964 to 1970. His brief romance and subsequ ...
. His first portraits were taken using the strip photobooth
A photo booth is a vending machine or modern kiosk that contains an automated, usually coin-operated