Bert Crenca is best known as founder and longtime artistic director of AS220, the arts and performance complex in downtown Providence.

But now that he’s turned the reins of AS220 over to his successors, the 66-year-old Crenca is working hard to “rebrand” himself as an artist, independent of AS220.

“People say, ‘You’ve always been an artist. AS220 is a great work of art.’ And I agree with that. I’ve always felt that way. But I want to be a visual artist, a performance artist,” Crenca said. Interviewed in his studio, he was wearing torn jeans, a blue hoodie liberally covered with old paint, a green watch cap and his trademark bushy goatee.

He has a new show, opening tonight, of 61 small multimedia drawings he made between August and October. It’s titled “Pain and Such,” and Crenca means that literally. The work was created while Crenca was confined to his bed with crippling back pain due to a herniated disk that ultimately required surgery.

“I couldn’t even twist my body around. I had to work from my bedroom ... but once I got laid up it was apparent I had to do something to keep productive. Because I couldn’t just keep lying there,” Crenca said. “I was drawing on that bed for 10, 12 hours a day. I found the pain was far more bearable when I was drawing.”

The show was originally scheduled to be at Nico Bella’s Family Restaurant on Dorrance Street, which is owned by Crenca’s brother, Daniel Crenca. Because of construction at the restaurant, the opening has been moved to 82 Weybosset St.

Crenca said the 61 drawings were influenced by his pain, surgery and recovery. Some of the stark early work resembles vertebrae, or mutations of vertebrae. As his condition improved, the work became more external, there’s more use of color, and the imagery includes insects, Buddhas, flowers, snakes and crosses.

Crenca lives in a converted Italian social club in a modest Providence neighborhood. Former indoor bocce courts in the basement have been turned into a workshop, music studio and exercise area.

Much of the upstairs is filled with art made by Crenca or his wife, Susan Clausen, also an artist. (She has an installation in the window of the Dirt Palace at 14 Olneyville Square in Providence.)

“This is it,” Crenca said, stretching his arms to encompass his studio.

“I want to be here every day. This is utopia. I never not know what I’m doing when I get into my studio. I always have two or three things that I want to do.”

On Dec. 29, Crenca posted a photo on Face-book of a hand-lettered poster that read: “This is my last day as a staff member of AS220, tomorrow my first day as full-time artist.”

But that doesn’t mean that Crenca has severed his ties with AS220. He said he will continue to be affiliated with AS220 as a teacher, speaker and founder emeritus.

AS220 spokesman David Dvorchak said Crenca will be involved in a four-day “Immersion Residency” for arts administrators, which deals with some of the issues involved with running an arts organization: finances, property, strategic development, accessibility and collaboration.

Crenca will also help teach a course called “Art and Social Justice: the role of cultural organizations in building community” at Roger Williams University.

“Walking away from AS220 was incredibly difficult,” Crenca said.

“I can’t be physically present. It’s impossible for me to be there and not have the authority. I can’t tell people to do something, because that would be completely inappropriate.”

Now, recovering from his back surgery, Crenca has set a new goal: “I want to be a famous artist!”

— asmith@ providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7485 On Twitter: @asmith651