A: What has your journey to your current artistry been?
S: I've been an artist all my life. I've always enjoyed drawing and painting, and I was also raised in a house that appreciated art. We frequently went to art museums as a family, and my parents made a point to show my siblings and I classic movies we wouldn't normally watch ourselves. I think art has been a part of my everyday life, which means it's constantly evolving. I like to think that my art has grown with me, in terms of both technical skill and subject matter.
A: Your work in the digital art space consists primarily of characters, and fanart. What interested you in this specific area of the art space?
S: Drawing has always been a huge part of my life, and, for as long as I can remember, creating fan art has always been a huge part of my drawings. If I had to put it into words, I imagine it's about communication for me. All art is about communicating, be it between artists, artists and viewers, or the artist with themselves. For me, fanart is about communicating back.
A: Being in the fan art space as you are, I imagine community is an important factor. What do you feel is special about that community of artists?
S: Fanart is fueled by love and passion, and there's something so special about connecting with someone who's passionate about the same things you are. Nowadays online, a lot of AI generated images have infiltrated fandom spaces, which I really hate. AI has no heart, no passion, and is only able to run on water and energy stolen from poor communities, and work escaped from non-consenting artists. With that in mind, maybe that makes fan-created works even more special. For me, when it comes to fanart, technical ability doesn't matter. What does matter is the thought, passion and effort that goes into it.
A: What does your studio practice look like day-to-day?
S: In all honesty, I don't have a very large living space, so my bedroom doubles as my studio. Because of that, I often have multiple projects going at once in the same space, and I have to learn to utilize every square inch. Any time I spend in my bedroom forces me to confront any projects I leave half-finished or incomplete. Essentially, my studio practice looks messy, crowded, and a little chaotic. In retrospect, any finished project I manage to churn out is a small miracle.
A: You often depict musicians, movie or cartoon characters or your own spin offs with important messaging. What would you say is the greatest message you want to convey within your work?
S: It's rare that I will sit down and think about what kind of message I want to convert within my art. Oftentimes I simply draw or paint what I'm passionate about. I've found myself many times listening to music or watching a movie and thinking "I wish I could create something beautiful like this." The great news is, I can! In the end, I guess the goal with a lot of my art and fanart is to express what I'm enthusiastic about.
A: Could you provide insight into representations of queerness within your work?
S: More often than not, my work is an attempt to represent an aspect of my life, not necessarily my queerness. If someone sees a work of mine and recognizes queerness in it, it's because I'm a queer person. However, I want them to recognize the person first. We live in troubling times where queer and trans people are villainized and misrepresented in the media and the news. I think it's important to communicate that queer people are just people, first and foremost. That being said, I am grateful to be seen as a queer trans person, and for that to be visible in my art. I want other queer and trans people to see my art, to see me, and to know that they are not alone.
A: Is this your first time participating in the Keene ArtWalk? If not, how many years have you
participated?
S: This is my second year participating.
A: What are you most excited to display at this year’s Keene ArtWalk?
S: When it comes to my digital art, I usually stick to making characters and comics. My drawing takes on a more stylized form, and the colors and lineart are more simplistic. I enjoy making fanart, and usually use digital drawings to depict characters from movies and books. When a movie really moves me and I want to study a shot or a scene, I use painting to depict a part of a movie that I found beautiful or evocative. My paintings can also take on an abstract or impressionist form. In short, I use drawing for more cartoonish drawings, and for my paintings, the sky's the limit.
A: While most of your work is digital you do have some acrylic on canvas pieces. The one I encountered was from a scene in the film “I Saw The TV Glow”. How does your process differ between digital and studio art pieces?
S: When it comes to my digital art, I usually stick to making characters and comics. My drawing takes on a more stylized form, and the colors and lineart are more simplistic. I enjoy making fanart, and usually use digital drawings to depict characters from movies and books. When a movie really moves me and I want to study a shot or a scene, I use painting to depict a part of a movie that I found beautiful or evocative. My paintings can also take on an abstract or impressionist form. In short, I use drawing for more cartoonish drawings, and for my paintings, the sky's the limit.
A: How do you practice self compassion as an artist in moments of burn out, block, or frustration?
S: I'm fortunate enough to have multiple types of outlets for my creativity. If a drawing's not working for me, I can work on another drawing, or a painting, or a 3D project. If I don't feel like making anything, I run around outside with my dog, or I play on my Switch, or I watch a couple episodes of Frasier. My best strategy is to give myself breaks, and lots of back-up things to do if I need to step away. I often think of the quote from Kiki's Delivery Service (one of my favorites!): "Stop trying. Take long walks. Look at the scenery. Doze off at noon. Don't even think about flying. And then, pretty soon, you'll be flying again."
A: How do you want your work to make viewers feel?
S: I want viewers to connect with my art, and to be able to connect with me. I want to make people feel sad, confused, and comforted. Frankly, when it comes to showing my art, I feel shy and insecure about people viewing something I've made. If any emotions are evoked, I'll be happy.
A: Do you have anything to add?
S: I want to implore anyone out there to stop using generative AI. Nothing is stopping you from creating things yourself. It can be scary to try something new, and the prospect of not being good at something is daunting. Do it anyway. Do it poorly. Do it half-assed. Anything you are able to spend time into making is immediately more wonderful that anything puked out by the plagiarism machine.
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