Painting the Unseen: Monsters, Mental Health, and the Power of Art

Painting the Unseen: Monsters, Mental Health, and the Power of Art

‘You should find your art process your own way, not by limiting yourself with other people’s rules or processes. Your process is unique to you.‘

-Do you believe that you might be painting with violent tendencies?

I do not paint with violent tendencies, I do however believe that as an artist who struggles with mental health, my state of mind or my feelings can sometimes be reflected in my work. I’ve also been a fan of horror movies since I was a child, so I do paint a lot of monsters or other horror related things.

– There’s a recurring theme of a lady and a sharp-toothed beast in your work, why is that?

I believe the lady you are referring to is the person in my painting titled “Familiar”, it is someone with their darker half (or their soulmate, however you choose to see it). I have also painted a couple of sharp-toothed beasts in the past few years. There is no significant reason for either of these, other than my lifelong love of horror and monsters. As a kid I would read Goosebumps books and try to draw the monsters how I imagined they would look in real life. I’ve always been inspired by everything spooky and it has definitely come through in my artwork.

– Why venom?
My dad has always been a fan of Venom, the Marvel comics, and I have always been a big Marvel fan. My family and I saw all of the Venom movies in theatres. I just loved the character design (big and scary, lots of teeth) and I felt inspired to paint him. My painting of Venom was printed and framed for my dad’s birthday and he shows it to all his friends, it’s really sweet.

– What are the issues feeling your art these days?

I don’t think my current art represents any issues, however, I’m sure some of my feelings at the time of painting have come through in certain pieces. And as someone who cares about what’s going on in the world right now, I would eventually like to paint some pieces about the current state of the world. I’m sure many artists feel motivated to do that as well. Anyone with an audience or a talent should take advantage and use their voice, if they feel compelled to.

– How do you get yourself in a creative state of mind?

How I get myself into a creative state of mind? Well, I think I’m always in a creative state of mind. In fact I often feel overwhelmed with the amount of ideas and plans I have for art, music, poetry, etc. I am always creating, always writing down ideas, always setting time aside to make sure I continue to create, even when I’m working full time. I don’t think you always have to be creating, but everyone should aspire to always be creative. For me though, it never stops. You should see the notes app on my phone, wow. So excited to share more work with the world soon.

– Have you ever cared about being relevant?

Not at all. I am of the firm opinion that, if you don’t like me or what I make, that’s perfectly fine. I paint because it’s what I love to do. I don’t expect everyone to love it. I decide to post a piece on social media only if I love it first. Of course, the only exception to this is if I’m painting something for someone as a gift. Then the pressure is on. But no, relevancy doesn’t matter to me and I don’t think it should matter so much to anyone.

– What does art do for you?

Art is an outlet. It’s therapy. It’s healing. Art is one of the most important things, in my opinion. All forms of it. Art is a beautiful reflection of humanity. Art is a passion, and it helps my health tremendously.

– Do you think you can paint your fear?

I might sound strange for saying this, but I think I am fascinated by the things I fear. Maybe that’s why I’m such a big fan of horror. I think the things we fear are what make us who we are. And understanding why we fear what we do is very interesting. I’d love to paint all my fears and phobias.

– What does rebellion mean to you as an artist?

As an artist, I think rebellion is rule #1. Art schools and art classes will teach you rules above all else. Rules for shading, rules for layering, etc. But that takes the soul out of it. Art is art because it has no rules. Whether you’re drawing stick figures or painting the Mona Lisa, it’s art. You should find your art process your own way, not by limiting yourself with other people’s rules or processes. Your process is unique to you.

– Was there ever a time that you were fed up with art?

Yes. I had reached the point where, I had ideas so big, but I couldn’t paint them because I hadn’t practiced enough to paint in the way I wanted. I think every artist, no matter how skilled, gets fed up. It’s normal. You want it to be the way you want it to be. To your standards. The key to this is to just be patient with yourself, and trust that you’ll get there.

– Do ever wish to control the way your art is perceived?

No. I give my painting a title, and the world can decide how they see it. Art is subjective. Everyone will get a different feeling from it, get a different message from it, or see a completely different painting. I think that’s beautiful. I love hearing people tell me what they get from my art. It’s truly fascinating.

-Last but not least, do you think the glass is half full, half empty, or just twice as big as needed?

I think every answer to this question is correct. It’s not a matter of, if the shark or the bear would win, it’s a matter of situation. And no matter the situation, I look at it in the most patient and positive way possible.

ManicWorld Magazine

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