Today we’d like to introduce you to Everett Reynolds.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I was Born in Belize CA, my mother decided to move us to Illinois when I was 12. Moving from a third work country it puts a lot of pressure on you to become a something “great” like a doctor or lawyer etc… with that being said, I graduate high school a semester early on a Friday, at age 16 and I started college that following Monday Majoring in chemistry. Somewhere along the way I felt a bit lost, I wasn’t really passionate about what I was doing nor what I was studying. So at that point I started searching for something positive to put my energy into, something to basically help me forget about my unfulfilled everyday life. Something I truly enjoyed doing. My brother is an amazing artist as well and he’s been drawing from a young age. I would always do random little sketches in class notebook but Nothing I was ever confident about. I had this thing “l don’t want to be like my big brother I wanted to do something “different” thing going on. So Tried a few different things seeing we already had an artist in the family. I Was pretty good at everything I tried but I was not GREAT at any. Almost 3 years ago I was cruising through Walmart and found myself in the art isle. I just randomly picked up a cheap brush, cheap canvas, and started painting, and instantly fell in love with it. Got great feedback and support from people. I realized I might actually be able to be GREAT at this. I started teaching myself different techniques and mediums and I’ve been doing it ever since
Please tell us about your art.
I create oil on canvas paintings and large scale murals. My thing at the moment is painting photorealistic/hyperreastict portraits of people. I’m still discovering my style and it’s slightly changing as I teach myself more. I paint faces to create that human connection that I feel most people lack. I paint mostly regular people because I want my audience to relate to the faces I paint, I want them to reflect on themselves but also beyond themselves. I highlight beauty, strength, positivity, selflessness, ambition, self-love, creativity etc. If I can inspire one person to be strong, or to see more beauty in things, or to love themselves, or to Dream big. Etc. if they do that and use those qualities to better not only their own lives but other people’s lives. I’ll be happy.
What do you think about conditions for artists today? Has life become easier or harder for artists in recent years? What can cities like ours do to encourage and help art and artists thrive?
Being in the studio constantly Creating can definitely be lonely and hard, yes. But I’ll say Social media has opened up a whole new world for artist! Pretty much All artists post their events on social media. Try to Attend those art shows, festivals, events. DM other artist, try to collaborate. Buy and Support other artist work and they’ll support yours. I have a wall in my studio dedicated solely to the works of other artist. Be open minded. Most creatives are awesome people and I don’t think it’s that hard to connect. If people love art the cities have no choice but to love and support it as well.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I’m not represented by any galleries at the moment. All my work can be seen on my social media accounts. Main platform Is Instagram @evr_art and also at Facebook @evr_art I do pop up art events around the city every once in a while. (Posted on my social media)
Contact Info:
- Email: everettreynolds27@gmail.com
- Instagram: @evr_art
- Facebook: @evr_art
Processed with VSCO with a6 preset
|Image Credit:
Bob Marley, joyjah, power, the source, #dreambigmural
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