Dear Pennies & Pens,
As an Editor, I absolutely love those times when I discover amazing artists by accident. It makes my job easier because it happens organically thereby making our collaboration more authentic. I spotted today’s interviewee Kiarra Elliott (@AfrocentricKeyy) Ā on Instagram and immediately recognized her talent.
Kiarra’s work is colorful, thoughtful, and interesting. She was born and raised in Southern California but is now based in NYC. I adore Kiarra’s work because she combines animals and humans in a way, I have never seen before. It’s a fascinating intersection and I love it! In our interview below, Kiarra talks about her life, work, and plans for the future. Check out: Pen’s Eye: Afrocentric Keyy below.
Where are you from?
I am from Southern California, born and raised in Orange County and then moved to the Inland Empire during my later teenage years till I made the big move to New York City in 2014 this past November.
How has your heritage influenced you as an artist?
My artwork has a direct connection to my heritage and the inner beauty and creativity that comes with it. I have always admired the strength and beauty of my fellow Black people.
I have learned so much from the people in my family, and seen the struggles that some have had to go through; as well as; the great accomplishments they have all been able to achieve by staying true to themselves and never giving up on their dreams.
What school did you go to?
I went to a performing art high school named Orange County High School of the Arts and studied visual arts as my conservatory. I then attended University of California, Riverside were I received my Bachelors degree is Studio Arts with a minor in Business Marketing/Advertising.
What inspires you to create art?
I am inspired by nature and the wonderful creation you can find in all forms in life. I like to fuse the human, animal and organic plant form together in a way that it is aesthetically pleasing and unique.
My goal is to bridge the metaphorical and physical meaning of what defines beauty. I want my images to make its viewers question how it was possible to fuse two different things so successfully, but accept that they almost look as if, they were always meant to be placed that way.
What made you decide to become an artist?
Art has always been apart of my life in some way in form. When I was younger I was apart of many different dance backgrounds such as; ballet, African dance, contemporary and tap; but I always came back to the arts.
Something about being able to create something you see in your mind and bring it to life has always appealed to me. This transition has always fascinated me. Although I am always learning and growing as a artist, I feel that I have finally figured out my own artist path and very excited about the endless opportunities I can take it.
Tell me more about your creative process as far as how you create your pieces? What tools, programs, or mediums do you use?
I have 3 different mediums (oil paint of wood, chalk/charcoal on water pressed paper and digital painting done on my iPad) that I use. In all mediums I start with the same first step; clear my mind and tune on my neo-soul play list on Pandora or Spoitfy. Then I let whatever images I come across inspire me and I start my creative process with figuring out what animal or flower I want to use for the specific portrait image.
For my oil paintings on wood and chalk/ charcoal drawing I sketch out a outlined image of what I want to paint/ draw on my iPad and have that final image projected onto the piece of wood/ paper I plan on painting/ drawing on. From there I trace the outline with a pencil onto the wood/ paper. After the image is completely transferred onto the new surface I then go into setting up my paints and getting all my materials together.
After that is done I let the colors on my palate guide me in my creative process one stroke at a time till the painting or drawing is finished. For my digital artwork I do everything on my iPad using a program called Procreate from sketch to digital painting till I have my final finished piece.
Which piece that youāve created is your favorite? Why?
I actually have two favorite pieces, which are also the faces of my company. The first is my oil painting āGiraffe me Eccentricā which marked my transition into who I am now as an artist. And my second is my chalk/ charcoal drawing āAfrican Lilyā, which is a representation of what it means to be elegant, strong and beautiful as I am. Both I did with no idea what the end result would be and when I finished them I surprised myself at the end result.
The enchantment they held and the way they were able to capture the viewerās eye, to the point you just starred endlessly at the image without saying a word. It was like I was having my own mental conversation with the pieces… It tripped me out honestly the first time. But that was when I knew I found myself in my artwork and where I wanted to take it!
What advice would you give to young art artists who are starting to build their portfolios?
For the young artist out there I would tell them to follow their heart and always pursue their dreams! Creativity is something that is unique to each artist, so always keep at it and keep developing your skill.
The road is a challenging one, but it is always very rewarding and humbling when you are able to see how far you have come and the things you have accomplished when you keep pushing yourself forward.
Who is your favorite artist and why?
My favorite artist is Wangechi Mutu because she has this ability to fuse different mediums together to create such powerful pieces of work.
Sheās able to fuse things together in such a way that is both challenging to the eye, but also beautiful. She is truly a talented artist and a true inspiration to me.
Tell me about present and upcoming projects?
Well I just finished up my first big solo month long gallery show this past January 2015 I titled āInspirationā in Baldwin Park, California which I am super proud of! It was the first time I had such a big exhibit to a much bigger audience, showcasing 32 pieces of original artwork I have over the past year and half.
Prior to my gallery show I have also been featured in two Raw Artist shows (my first in Hollywood, California in August 2014 and my second in Brooklyn, New York in November 2014). I also have showcased my artwork at different art and poetry jam event throughout 2014 as well. Along with my very first show and the introduction of my artwork and business in a week long exhibit at the Phyllis Gill Gallery I titled āAll that I amā in 2013.
At the moment I donāt have any official showcases set but I do have a few Iām the works that Iām pretty excited about! So the best is yet to come and I canāt wait to keep growing as an artist and spreading my artwork to the world!
Keep up with Kiarra here:Ā afrocentrickeyy.com
And there it is: de la Pen…All Pen Everything. With us, keeping it real never goes wrong.
