Devin Wilson is an artist who operates a studio out of his Murray Hill home.
WHAT MEDIUM DO YOU WORK IN?
“I try to stay well-rounded. I do pencil, pen and ink, self-expressive paintings, acrylics, sculpture and even some tattoo designs.”
ARE YOU A TATTOO ARTIST THEN?
No. People come to him with an idea of what they want and he puts it on paper.
WHAT MEDIUM DO YOU PREFER?
“Acrylic because it dries quickly. I tend to work fast when I fall into a rhythm.”
NOT ANOTHER STARVING ARTIST
For over a year, Wilson has worked as a structural steel draftsman for a contractor. His most recent painting reflects that industrial influence. He was also employed as a warehouse worker for eight years. “Doing art work full time in Jacksonville, it’s nice to have something to fall back on.”
TRAINING
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AN ARTIST?
“My parents told me I was an artist since age three. My first painting on canvas while at Douglas Anderson was a surrealistic landscape. I started getting serious about art when I realized I could pull in an income doing calligraphy.”
WHAT CENTRAL THEMES DO YOU EXPLORE?
“I started out with two different bodies of art: one was more exotic, sensual and the others were more spiritual or psychological pieces. They began to merge together in compositions. My message is psychological motivations. Both parts of human life come from the need to search, to explore those areas. I’m very introspective and quiet when exploring my artistic self. Painting is a wonderful tool for that. Painting is not just a marketing tool for artists; it’s painting a mirror in which you can see your own reflection. ”
BIG PROJECTS
Buchanan Memorial Gym recently hired him to paint a 55-by-18 foot mural. Wilson completed a similar project at Dir-T Suz-E’s Bar & Grill in Riverside, where lanes of traffic were painted on the floors to create an automotive-themed decor.
HOMETOWN
Jacksonville.
NEW YORK CAN WAIT
“Being an artist means networking, traveling, maybe even setting up a website. I haven’t grown into that yet. I have faith in Jacksonville. There aren’t an overwhelming number of galleries but I think the mentality, the appreciation for arts is growing. The support and appreciation has always been there but the acceptance of what is deemed art is broadening.”
ROAD TRIP
“I have traveled to some places with my work. I have done some small art auctions in Orlando and have held small art openings in Atlanta. My work is well-received in those places but I don’t feel the need to turn away from Jacksonville.” Each year, Wilson participates in the Tom of Finland [a famous erotic artist who formed a foundation to help other artists] art show in New York and California.
WHERE ELSE HAS YOUR WORK BEEN SHOWN?
Fuel hosted a one-man show for Wilson in December. The holidays also offered him an opportunity to paint a series of three-dimensional circus animals for the Circus Tree featured in the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens Christmas tree display.
WHO REPRESENTS HIM?
The soon-to-open Eighth Street Art Gallery at the corner of Main and Eighth streets will showcase some of his pieces. The grand opening will coincide with Springfield’s spring home tour. “It’s good to circulate. I’ll have pieces at one venue for a while and then switch them around. Some are represented better in a true-to-form gallery while others get more noticed in a coffee shop.”
WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL?
“I want to finish every painting and be as proud of it as my best painting ever.”
WHAT’S GREAT ABOUT BEING AN ARTIST?
“Two gratifying things: to start with a seedling of an idea you want to communicate and evolve it into something beautiful. Second, reaching a state of no-mind when painting becomes meditative. You can concentrate on what you’re doing but you’re not aware of your thought processes; it just flows out of you.”
WHAT’S MOST CHALLENGING?
“Commissions. When people come to me with an idea, I have to go to great pains to explain what they want to see. You have to play 20 questions for them to be ultimately happy.”
WHERE DOES YOUR CREATIVITY COME FROM?
“My inspiration always surprises me. It could be complicated images from the recesses of my mind or something as simple as an apple sitting in an empty refrigerator.” Sometimes he will play the soundtrack of “The Fifth Element” for inspiration.
WHEN THE PAINTBRUSH IS DOWN
Exercise or spending time with friends and loved ones is how he unwinds. “Home improvement is my new venture. I consider it to be my biggest sculpture.” Wilson also enjoys Chinese food and science fiction novels.
WHO DO YOU ADMIRE MOST?
“Salvador Dali was one of my first influences, but for heroes, I’m still trying to figure that one out.”
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ASPIRING ARTISTS?
“Look inside yourself and don’t compromise your integrity.”
— by Monica Chamness