Why have you chosen to be an artist? What is your “raison d’être”?
From a very young age while watching anime, specifically Dragon Ball; where Goku was a tiny kid and was now learning how to do the ‘kamehameha’. My brother Christoff introduced me to drawing and the first thing I remember ever drawing was Goku, from a YouTube tutorial with my brother. After that, drawing was something that always stuck with me.
I continued to draw Goku and other anime characters until I grew up. And then I started to draw my own things and create my own characters. However, after secondary school and promising my teachers that I would become an artist, I just stopped all of a sudden.
I played video games for a time. I went to work for a time and I started to analyse my life and where it was going and I suddenly remembered I had the talent to draw. After remembering [that], I drew, and drew, and drew until people at work and at my church said that I should really do something with this talent. Now I’m at BCC studying Visual Arts and improving my skills and talent.
Overall, the real reason I chose to be an artist is the simple fact that I didn’t know what to do in life, which is common for a young man or woman, and the fact that God [placed] the right people in my life at the right time. And now I pursue it not just for fun, though I do have fun doing it, but as a potential career as well.
How would you describe your creative process?
Whenever I am about to approach a piece of artwork, the first thing I think [about] is not how much money I will make from this piece. Rather, I think, “How can I glorify God in this piece?” And I tend to just relax and enjoy the process of going from a simple sketch in my sketch book, to a final piece of work.
My beliefs [influence] me a lot in my work. And many people have stated that this will limit me and that “it is no fun.” But for me, what determines a great piece of work is this one question: “What would Jesus think of this if he was to see it?”
If yes, I have made a good piece of art. If [no], then I have failed no matter how good it may look to the world. Usually, however, the creative process is a fun process, and rather calming and peaceful to me. And I’m glad God blessed me with such a talent/skill.
Who are some other Bajans in your field whose work you admire?
Matthew Clarke, he is an amazing comic book artist and I took a liking to his work solely because I want to one day create my own story as well. He has become a friend to me and also gives me feedback every now and then to help me improve in my artistic journey.
Another artist I admire is my own tutor, Ms. Nichols at the Barbados Community College, who is known as AnnMarie in the art world. She inspired me to start my oil painting journey and now I’m addicted to oil painting.
Lastly @SxDayz. The way he does portraits [is] both amazing and inspiring. His [graphic] style works are amazing as well. I love his style. And though I like to draw in a more anime style, once upon a time he actually inspired me to go into a more semi-realistic style of things, which adds to my own style today.
What do you think makes you unique as an artist?
What makes me unique as an artist is definitely my style. All artists have a unique style that is as a result of how they draw. This comes naturally to every single artist, whether or not they believe they have a style.
What I really try to go for in my style is a blend of semi-realism, anime, and comic styles. Without the black outlines. So it gives me a style that looks real, but at the same time kinda cartoonish. And that is what really makes me unique.
And I’m currently bringing this style into painting and not just drawing. And as stated before, I do think my beliefs make me unique as an artist as well. Because they heavily influence the subjects I decide to draw as well.
My drive to improve as an artist makes me unique as well. Doing the things no one else wants to do because it’s time consuming and hard. I don’t give up easily.
For you as an artist, is there a work of art or an artist that resonates with you on a profound level?
This question is a very hard question for me, because there is not just one single artist or one single artwork, but many. And because I have multiple styles, there are some for each of my styles.
But if I was to pick one artist right now I would say Brentgrey, the Trinidadian artist who made the webtoon ‘ORDEAL’. Because I’m heavily into making my own Christian comic, I really love his work. And his work really resonates with me.
