This is Cam Lee Art, @cam.leeart a local artist from the 956 community! She is one of this week's featured artist.
Cam Lee Ann
Starting off by speaking a little bit about Cam's current interests being as she says "right now I’m listening to Hive by Early Sweatshirt so I'm really enjoying some Earl at the moment." When it comes to Earl Sweatshirt he certainly can touch some dark yet interesting topics which can be relatable. My current favorite Earl song is "Riot!" It's just a song I can't skip as she continues by stating her favorite locals "my favorite local artists are people I hold very dear to me, Jumexgod and zvmbra_art." Yes, Jumexgod is a great artist along with the other creatives within our community, but I'll be sure to check out zvmbra_art!
Digging deep into memory lane by asking Cam how she got into creating artwork "I’ve always been such a creative and artistic kid and there has never been a moment where I didn’t consider myself an artist, it’s just something I’d say I was born with. I don’t really remember the first piece I’ve made, but I do know that the first piece I was seriously proud of is a fun doodle I made that has no name to it, it’s the very first post on my art account." If you want to see that first post check out @cam.leeart, but even if it may be a "doodle" Cam has her own personal major piece which is embarking into showing her artwork to the community. Using art as her creative outlet from such a young age and continuing and growing alongside her work as may others are.
Continuing my statement on how Cam continues her artwork and growing alongside it brings the question if she's changed art styles or developed her current style as she comments on this by saying "I’ve grown a lot as an artist and I’ve discovered so many different styles of mine that I’m still trying to put into one. I’m trying to get it just right so that when people see my work, they are immediately familiar with my signature style." Hmm, that makes sense as Cam mentions "I'm trying to get it just right so that when people see my work, they are immediately familiar with my signature style" as if I'm sure if you showed people who follow local creatives they could possibly name you the artist due to their distinct style or sound. There are some interesting pieces for sure created by Cam which I look forward to prints and future creations.
Cam wants her artwork to be familiarized by a "signature style", but she also continues to experiment and have new ideas for her work as she mentions "I want to be as detailed with paint as I am with pencil or ink so my images are clearer and match the idea in my head. I love using oil paint, I just want to experiment a lot more with it so I can have a wider variety of pieces." As she works mostly with "pencil or ink" which can be the idea of the "signature style" but there's more to it than just the medium, but the art style as well which she has. Of course, there's also nothing wrong with experimentation, but rather we encourage that to try new things and as an artist to experience what lies outside of the comfort zone.
Creating artwork since she's been young comes with everything experienced and seen and maybe the influence behind her current art as she shares her influences "a lot of my work is influenced by certain music I listen to. I like to listen to a lot of Death Grips, Machine Girl, Björk, or The Books, so they inspire me to create a lot of bright chaotic messes or dark unsettling pieces. Really it’s the style of the music and type of images that come to mind that determine what I make." By stating "Death Grips" I can understand by looking at a piece or two, but I'd have to also look into these other artists mentioned to have a better understanding. When it comes to "Death Grips" and their music/music videos and possibly even their album covers such as an influence using "Year Of The Snitch" and "Bottomless Pit" as an example that I can see as the influence due to the imagery in the album covers.
From the influences to the experimentation this brings us to the creative process behind Cam's work as she says "I like to scroll through the internet for references and think of ways to completely change up the image, then I go with whatever happens. I don’t really plan out my pieces, I just trust the process." Sometimes even the things that aren't planned come out the best. For example, planning out a schedule for a trip can't always fall in line on the dot, but what happens, happens.
There are two pieces of Cam's artwork that made me wonder on the idea of themes behind her work and one of them being called "Boys Will Be Boys" as she explains the themes behind these pieces "when I do carry a theme in a piece its usually aimed towards relationships and sexuality, simply because I feel that it’s the easiest thing for me to express through a piece. Like my piece 'Boys Will Be Boys' it’s my way of saying that instead of using that term to excuse toxic masculinity it should be used to accept boys for their sexualities and sentimentality." I'll be labeling the "Boys Will Be Boys" piece so you may be able to think upon this theme for yourself and any other thoughts you may have.
From the numerous pieces she's created she must have a favorite but there could be the chance of her keeping neutral within the art she creates as she says "At the moment my favorite piece I’ve made is one titled Cyber Mortuary. I finally got to combine futuristic retro and some of my favorite body parts into one piece of paper." This is one of the pieces that I mentioned earlier that I can certainly see the influence of "Death Grips", but of course I'll be educating myself with the other artists mentioned. I can certainly hear the instrumentals coming out of this piece probably something off the "Bottomless Pit" album. Of course, amazing piece by Cam along with the others she's created.
Coming to end I lastly ask Cam how she would like to grow as an artist as she states "I would like to really touch people with what I make. Reach out to people with abnormal tastes and grow a wide fan base." I'd certainly say to the reader don't buy the artwork you'd find hanging at a dentist's office or an office building. Yes, we all have our own personal tastes, but try something "abnormal" or out of your comfort zone and have it make a statement in your home. I'm sure Cam has followers who await on her next post as we wait for the other artists we follow as well.
Thes are Cam's thoughts on the local scene,
"The local art scene is full of many young and beautiful minds. Many different tastes that give the valley much more life when all put together."
Along with some words of advice by Cam for anything interested in creating artwork,
"There’s nothing you can or can’t make, no one else’s opinions should influence you unless they are providing a supportive environment"
Comments