254 words with Shelby Cowart

Since as early as I can remember I’ve always been in love with drawing. It started with cartoons then moved onto animals and people, but now I just create abstract versions of whatever I see that evokes a real atmosphere in my mind regardless of the subject.

This is the first year where I began to start painting full-time. It’s been really risky and unpredictable, but I decided to dive into art full-time when I moved back home to Arroyo Grande from L.A. I was tired and uninspired from other industries I’ve worked in, and it started as a therapeutic tool to get a grasp on paying attention to myself again.

Life events inspire me. The big ones and the small ones. I take a lot of videos on a regular basis mostly just to remember the people I spend time with, the way I was feeling in the moment, and of course the things I see from day to day. I pull colors, concepts, faces, and emotions from those videos. Music has a really big influence on the images I paint as well. Sort of like a music video in my mind and I just try to paint that.

It really comes together when you stop focusing on an idea of “what it’s supposed to look like.” Let go of expectations, have fun while you do it, keep experimenting with new ways to make life (and art) more interesting—no matter what it’ll turn out alright.

Art is extremely personal for me, but mostly for the viewer. When people can see something I made and feel connected to someone or something from their own life, that is when I feel like I served my purpose.