Artist Statement
19 Apr 2011 Leave a comment
The work I create is either generated to have a specific, usually political meaning, or to express images from my dreams. The only reason I use art as an outlet for my dreams and ideas is simply because I love it, and personally, I think that’s the only reason anyone should do it. I don’t strive to be a famous artist, or profit from my work at all, for that matter. Everything I create is done because I enjoy it, and that’s the way I want it to stay for the duration of my career as an artist.
I, like most people, have been creating “art” for basically all of my life. During this time, I learned that my favorite way to build an image is to imagine exactly what I want and just draw it. During this process, every decision that I make is based solely from my imagination. I try to recreate the image in my head in the way I feel suits it best. The materials I use are generally graphite, charcoal, and spray-paint. The only reason these are my go-to tools is because they are my favorite, and what I enjoy using most. I tend to be inspired by many things, including books, culture, and street art.
Currently, I am focusing mainly on my drawings. I recently have discovered my individual style, and I am trying to pursue it to its full potential. It consists of concepts that I dream up, then create purely from imagination. I like to draw in a cartoony manor, but I like to then shade the image hyper-realistically. I think it adds kind of a somber depth to the normally playful, innocent vibe that a cartoonish style entails. I think I was drawn to this style because I was heavily influenced by cartoons as a child, and my favorite ones were always dark. For some reason, even at an early age, that style grabbed my attention. In addition to my drawing, I also really enjoy spray-painting. I prefer to do most of this kind of art using stencils. This allows me to express a more political side, and bring up issues I believe in that don’t fit into the particular style of my drawing. I had a phase in about eighth grade in which I was really involved in street art. Tagging, murals, you name it, I just loved doing it. It brought me an unmatchable rush, a feeling of freedom, and the best possible form of expression. The main reason I stopped was due to the law. Two of my best friends were caught, fined, and forced to do community service. Granted, I was only in eighth grade, so this kind of punishment was enough to scare me away from it for awhile. I have just recently got back into it in the last year. It is much more enticing now, because I actually have ideas I want to express, and more artistic talent in order to do so.
I always look forward to the future and new ways to express myself. The art I do now is one of the only things that I truly love doing. I believe that I will be doing this until I die, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
markhickox 