For Denver artist Malcolm Farley, it.s true the whole world is his canvas. One week he’s at the Super Bowl, the next week a tennis event, the next is devoted to a project with Major League Baseball and the Mickey Mantle Foundation. A moment’s spare time can be put to use working with local students on the official artwork for the upcoming Colfax Marathon. A former college athlete, sports and art have been Farley’s dual true loves most of his 48 years. Recently, Farley put down his brushes long enough for a chat.
Anthony Cotton: So, this is your 40th year as an artiste?
Malcolm Farley: That.s one way of looking at it. No one.s put it that way before. Actually, it.s probably about my 45th anniversary, to be honest.
AC: How did you get started?
MF: My mom had a portfolio of mine, you know how proud mamas can be. My parents were educators, and they always brought home paints and pencils and paper from school. And there were some great, very inspirational people in my early life. I think I won a national award in fourth grade. I sold my first piece in first grade. It won first place in a Denver art show.
AC: So you never had to apply for one of those late-night commercial contests, .Do you have art talent?.
MF: Exactly. I used to always joke about that; I.d threaten to send something in and see if I could get accepted, .Sorry, you just don.t have it. Come back again later..
AC: I was also wondering if you have a little bit of journalist in you. There aren.t many artists who like to work on deadline.
MF: That came from being a commercial artist. I was an illustrator for many years, and for magazines or newspapers you.re driven by the deadline. For me, sometimes that.s what brings out the best product, being pressured to perform. It carried over from my sports background. Now, when I paint live, I think it.s a test of the human spirit and abilities. Look at the athletes in the Olympics; some rose to the occasion and some didn.t.
AC: What was your background in sports?
MF: I played the three major sports all through my life, through college. I ended up at Metro State on a basketball scholarship after kicking around at a couple of other colleges. My sports paid for my art training, and it eventually led into what I.m doing now.
I think what sets me apart from other sports artists is that I.ve been in the locker room, I know what it.s like to be hit as a running back, and what it.s like to strike somebody out in the bottom of the ninth inning. That may be a little advantage I have over someone else in painting a subject matter. Hopefully there.s some energy and intensity and some insightful perspective in what I do.
AC: Given that background, were there thoughts of perhaps working in another area?
MF: I.m very interested in other cultures; my parents were actually missionaries, so I was in Asia and China and India. I taught in China. The cultures and garb and costuming of people in their native lands really intrigues me now. I have a trip to Africa next spring to paint wildlife, but also because I.ve seen these patterns in my head since I was a small child traveling the world.
That.s where I.d like to end up, not that painting Super Bowls and things like that isn.t fun, but you can only do so many football helmets.
AC: You.ve said that you see life in colors. What do you mean?
MF: I believe that everything is energy, and maybe I see things in colors that other people don.t see. Movement creates color; marketing companies have spent a lot of money on colors and their psychological impact. Once you learn color, whether it.s intuitive or taught, you learn how they create emotion. So what better venue to use color than modern-day sports? There.s advertising, there.s the uniforms, there.s the energy generated by the athletes. emotions. I can.t explain it. I talked about it to Carlos Santana recently. He sees the same things when he plays his guitar.
AC: When you.re at a venue, is there something in particular that you.re looking for, or do you just let it all wash over you?
MF: I let it all wash over me, but sometimes the picture.s just there. I try to be a sponge as best as I can be, but then the moment hits, or you see something at a certain angle, and how it aligns. Right now, I.m doing a painting of Tiger Woods at St. Andrews, and there.s how the shadow accentuates the backswing. With things like that, you can create movement where you hadn.t planned on it.
AC: Has a Leroy Neiman influenced you at all?
MF: I get that question a lot. I.ve met Leroy many times. He.s responsible for the success of a lot of artists by his popularity and the mainstream and international success that he.s had. Certainly he opened the doors for anybody who wants to do something creatively. I had his art on my wall as a kid; when you.re around something like that, I.m sure a certain amount sinks in.
But we both realize my stuff is different from his – we paint sports and entertainment, we both use bright colors – but when you set them side by side, which has actually been done a lot, they.re both really quite different. I.m a little less abstract, a little more detailed and I try to show more emotion.
AC: How often are you on the road?
MF: A lot. My New Year.s resolution was to be home more for my boys, but that.s hard to do sometimes. I.m trying to cut back, but it seems sometimes there are all these offers for things that you want to do, things you just can.t refuse.
Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-820-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com.