Meet Curtis Griffin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Curtis Griffin.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I was born in New Orleans and raised in an extremely rural area on the East coast. I have always drawn, painted and created for long as I can remember – it has always been an integral part of my life. It was only natural that I pursue art and I eventually received my BFA from Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia. While at Tyler I had the opportunity to study abroad for a time in Rome which greatly expanded my view of art and the world. I bounced around after graduation to a few different cities and eventually landed in Texas 11 years ago. As they say, I got here as quick as I could!

Please tell us about your art.
I consider myself primarily a painter. I am traditionally trained in a variety of mediums including graphite, charcoal, Conte, and acrylics, but I prefer oil paint. About four years I got into spray paint and have to say aerosol has quickly made its way to a solid, second favorite. Painting quietly in the studio can be a very isolated process – aerosol has allowed me to get out of the studio and get a lot larger with my scale and a lot more public with my work. I am also a professional web developer/designer, so digital work is also a huge outlet.

Overall my work is generally a visual narrative or commentary – I am a storyteller. Extending myself beyond my traditional art background and working through a wider range of subjects, mediums, and processes has added a lot of new content to my visual vocabulary and radically affected my recent work. I feel a little all over the place but feel good about it. I create because I literally wouldn’t know what to do without it. I wholeheartedly believe everyone has a creative source that they can tap to aid them in interpreting and processing life and reality.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
Oversaturation. We live in a time where anyone with a cell phone is a photographer, and anyone with a brand is a fashion designer. There are extreme benefits to social media and the startup culture, but the fact that it is so accessible now makes for an extremely flooded market. Its hard to stand out.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
People can see my work online at my personal website (http://griffininsight.com) and on my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/griffininsight/) I have originals and prints available through both. I am also currently working on an Etsy shop and Printful store for more customer choice, direct printing.

Locally here in Austin, you can find some of my original paintings at Art for The People Gallery, and I am always working/showing at Cherry Cola Dog – an open artists gallery/artist community – come out one Saturday and say hey! I am also at most art and live painting events, vendor popups, and most likely on your local street sign in the form of my signature sticker. Keep an eye out!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://griffininsight.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griffininsight/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/curtisgriffinart/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/griffininsight
• Other: http://artofaustin.com

Image Credit:
Curtis Griffin

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