Have you ever walked or driven past something that has caught your eye? From buildings, a craft, or art plastered on wall. Art on the walls from murals to graffiti there's a lot to take in. Even on my drive to the corner store there's an abandoned shack that has graffiti, but there's one specifically that I always look at. I've been meaning to take a picture of it, but never have. There's something hidden within the nooks and cranny of where we are. On the topic of street art this week's feature is Serkit, @serkitkillz who we will get into in just a moment!
Starting off with a little bit about Serkit he shares with us what he's been enjoying most recently "sketching and drawing on my iPad and procreate has really been fun lately. I’ve been trying to draw as many of my favorite hip hop artists as I can and express myself through the digital medium. I also enjoy playing and walking my dog Spot, he really likes going for walks at the park" As he mentions drawing hip hop artists I recall the MF DOOM tribute drawings, but being able to express yourself as mentioned is just as important.
He continues by sharing his favorite local business "I think my favorite current local business is Taqueria Antojitos Mario in Los Fresnos. They have some great food at very affordable prices, plus it’s close to my house haha. It’s been my number one go to place when I don't feel like cooking." I can relate to this. When I just don't feel like cooking I have my usual spots to hit up or of course trying something new is always interesting.
Serkit begins by sharing with how his interest in street art began "I’ve been drawing cartoons since elementary, like looney toons, pokemon and digimon, but I first noticed graffiti in high school and I thought it was incredible. Before I knew anything (or anyone) about graffiti I just started copying different graffiti styles of what I thought looked dope. Then @ace_tpa and me had spanish class together senior year in high school and that's when I really started painting." I remember also drawing some of my favorite characters in school, but I never went off and continued with it, but when it came to "graffiti" at school what I did notice was how the individuals who did it also had their own style. Personalizing their mark as their own which was interesting. This may have been his start, but how has he grown as he continues "I’ve seen a lot of changes in my art over the years, it's been a great journey. At first I was strictly a graff head only interested in graffiti. I took my first art classes in college, around 2010, and it completely changed my entire perspective about what I could be doing. Right now my interest is in painting murals and trying to create a more realistic style to my art." I've seen some murals around and they are fantastic! The one near me is The Cowboys mural in Mission, but as Serkit mentioned "it completely changed my entire perspective about what I could be doing" and it is a change for him which has helped him develop himself. Now his interest is murals which we will be showing on the post, but you can also catch these murals on his page.
With the mentioning of "graffiti" what about it does Serkit enjoy it as he explains his interest "I love graffiti, it’s had a huge impact on my life and art. Stickly graff heads usually call themselves 'writers' or 'graffiti writers' because we are writing our names on the walls. Others will call themselves 'graffiti artist', I guess it just depends on every individual. I like to say i'm an artist because I like to do more than just graffiti." I can understand individuals calling themselves "writers" or "graffiti writers" especially with a process I've seen once. Serkit continues by saying "Senior year in high school, 2007, was when my interest really kicked off. Through graffiti I have met many great people and artists that I probably would not have met otherwise. I have been fortunate enough to travel and paint in Houston, and now it is leading me into the world of mural painting." This reminds me of @phawxx who studied tattooing in other locations before ending up here and finding her home for the work she creates. I find it interesting going off to create and returning with new knowledge that someone from somewhere else could have shared and having an experience.
Besides the work he presents on his page he also has a WordPress link on his bio which contains more work. When I asked about he replied with "Haha my wordpress has not been updated in years. I really should keep up with it more often. I’m really interested in people and characters and I’ve been working on characters for a good number of years now. Just recently (last year) I started taking courses with @stephensilver7 and it’s greatly improved my character drawings, which I then translated into my paintings and murals." What caught my attention was the characters and the people within it, but it is something I recommend checking out as well!
From the work posted to his WordPress does he have a favorite piece he has created?
"I think right now my favorite piece has to be the chicano style mural I painted dedicated to my mom in december 2020. (butterfly, Aztec warrior, eagle) I created something completely different than i've done before, trying to push my art as much as possible. I painted a big part of it on the day she passed away which made it very special to me. The people of the community also loved it which made it all the better. Making my art public on the side of buildings has been a great motivator for me. I love that regular people can see my art for free on a daily basis and not have to go into a museum or art gallery to enjoy art." It is a loving and amazing piece in my opinion and I hope to see it in person one day. What I love is that "the people of the community also loved it" due to the idea of "street art" being the idea "vulgarity" or "juvenile" when it reality it can be anything depending on the individual as well. In this instance Serkit has created something, but the feedback from the community is loving. Not only was Serkit able to create for himself but for the community and hey maybe even some of the community members can feel something upon looking at his mural.
With the big projects and different works Serkit has done is there anything new he would like to try? "I definitely want to paint more people, more chicano style murals around the RGV. I want my art to tell stories and to inspire the next generation of artists that will run into my art on the street. Right now my goal is to try to get better at realism and then somehow turn that into more abstract figures." The Idea of "more chicano style murals around the RGV" sounds fantastic! I look forward and I'm sure others look forward to what comes next.
How does one even begin a mural? Having a big wall as their canvas can sound intimidating that I would not even know where to begin to which Serkit explains his process " I guess the first thing is coming up with an idea for the mural. My inspiration right now comes from current events or from cultural history. I've been really digging old Aztec designs and styles. Last year I saw the documentary 'Chicano Park' on youtube and it fucking blew my mind that artists in the 70’s, 80’s were creating such amazing artwork in California. 'Chicano Park' inspired me to create some chicano murals here in the RGV.
Once I have my idea I like to sketch it out on paper, if I can draw it on paper I can definitely paint it. At the wall I start with the buff (bucket paint) to remove whatever was there before. I measure out the wall with the bricks or with my feet to see how much space I can use for any given object in my sketch. I tend to get a bit nervous at first even though I've been painting for over a decade, like if I’m not good enough, but once I start painting it's ON. I love the process of sketching out my ideas on the wall, there is so much energy going on at this point and it keeps going throughout the whole painting process. I go on my own little trip once I actually start adding colors to the sketch. It is hard to describe with words how I feel when painting graffiti or a mural, I try to enjoy the time as much as possible. Last piece of painting is having some music to jam to. Once the piece is finished and I can stand back and look at what my hours of hard work of being creative has accomplished it’s a feeling like nothing else. It’s like I'm chasing a high that doesn’t require any drugs to get to, the only way to reach this feeling is by painting. It keeps me going because I love that feeling and want to feel that great again." Loving the piece being done along with the process, but then knowing someone out there will walk or drive past it. Admiring it and enjoying it as well. The process begins and I'm sure when it gets finalized upon a great big wall it'll be just as great!
On the topic of murals if given the creative freedom what would Serkit choose to place upon a wall? " I think I would love to paint a giant mural, something huge, that makes people wonder how that was all done. It is so much work but it’s so rewarding once my paintings are finished. I want to tell more stories with my art, so I would want to paint the story or the history of a person/s or an area. Most of the murals and walls I paint I have full creative freedom so I'm usually painting what I want anyway. I’m extremely grateful for every mural/wall I have gotten to paint." From "I want to tell more stories with my art" to "Most of the murals I paint I have full creative freedom" and there isn't anything better than that.
With murals being BIG I wondered if Serkit has ever worked with others on murals or if he would ever like to work with other local artists to which he said "It’s fun painting murals/graffiti with other artists. It’s a great time to socialize and share ideas. The most recent project I did with other artists locally was a R.I.P. tribute mural for graffiti writer Azone that I painted with @ace_tpa and rozes. Azone’s passing really shocked and took me by surprise. Azone put me down with 77k or Seven Sins Krew, which I rocked for a good amount of years. Death is creeping everywhere, so I’m truly grateful I get to wake up everyday and be creative. Then I got down with the GR crew here in the valley and rocked a lot of walls with them, but I recently decided to drop the crew for personal reasons. Since then I’ve mostly been painting solo. I’m open to paint with anyone that wants to collaborate though." First I'd like to say my condolence, but It's nice that they were able to get together to create this Mural. Well if you are an artist or anyone with ideas for murals feel free to message Serkit.
Serkit shares his thoughts on the local business/art scene in The Valley,
" I love the current art scene here in the RGV. There is so much amazing talent here it blows my mind. I honestly don’t remember so much great art here 10 years ago when I was still new to the art scene. Now there are so many great murals popping up, painters, cartoonists, sculptors, and musicians it's wonderful to see it all. It is only getting better and better. Looking forward to the next generation of artists that we all are inspiring. The more people that get to see and experience art the better!"
I hope for the best for everyone putting themselves out there with their work.
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