Destiny Keller
Bo Rinehart
Though he’s known for making music with the rock band NEEDTOBREATHE, Bo Rinehart is also passionate about subjects like horses and abstract female portraits, working in a variety of mediums, including oils, acrylics, wax crayons, watercolors, charcoal, and pen. This July, he celebrated his debut show at the Franklin Art Scene.
Growing up in Possum Kingdom, South Carolina, Rinehart was obsessed with art from an early age. When his high school advanced placement art class took a trip abroad, it solidified his appreciation for expressive visual form. He attended Clemson University to study architecture and art, leaving after three years to pursue a full-time career performing with NEEDTOBREATHE. Rinehart painted the band’s first album cover, forging the connection between music and art.
“Before the band got signed, I was designing our posters, T-shirts, and all that stuff,” Rinehart says. “The thought was, once we got signed, that somebody professional would be doing it. But we quickly recognized that it didn't line up. It didn’t match the music.”
Throughout his travels, touring domestically and abroad, Rinehart continues to create in any space he can.
“I think putting the time in, whether you actually put pen to paper, is probably the most important thing for me,” he says.
Franklin by Bo Rinehart
“A lot of the stuff that I do, especially now, is something that's a very quick burst of energy. I might take two minutes on a drawing or seven minutes on a painting or kind of go crazy. That's how I like to work.”
Rinehart’s home-based music and art studios are located side- by- side.
“I go from one to the other when creativity strikes,” he says. “The best place you can be is in discovery. If you put yourself in a position of discovery, I think you're going to be most fulfilled.”
For a recent piece, Rinehart wanted to work on a certain texture. He decided to experiment with raw linen, taping it up on his wall. Every few days, he explored with different mediums, including spray paint and oil pastels. A form began to appear, which looked like the beginning of a face, so he ran with it.
“I was like, 'It needs something. This isn't quite right,’” Rinehart says. “It's a good experiment but next time I do this, I have five different ideas of how I would do it differently.”
Horses are a common theme in Rinehart’s sketches, influenced by his childhood.
“There's a beauty and a willingness to a horse that I'm very attracted to,” he says, “just the form that they have—, they can be regal but then they can also be in complete motion.”
Rinehart says he’s in the “garage band stage” of art, where he’s continually growing.
“I don’t think I’ll ever settle down into one theme or one style for too long.”