With this piece I revisited my first music-themed piece, which was of Kendrick Lamar. I still love that first piece but as I’ve grown and progressed with art, I see ways it could be improved. So with the release of “DAMN,” I thought it was the perfect time to do another “Kung Fu Kenny.” One of my favorite things about it, is that it’s a recycled canvas from a canvas print that was damaged by a rainy night at the art market. I washed the ink off with water and started with just the image of Kendrick’s face from the “Humble” video where his head is on fire. In the flames I used the line that starts the album: “Is it wickedness? Is it weakness? You decide. Are we gonna live or die?” Then I detailed around his face with my favorite line from every other song on the album.
art that night at the art market where I was working, and when I heard the news of Prince’s death, I felt compelled to create a Prince piece. I did the pastel work while listening to “Purple Rain,” and added the lettering later. I included the lyrics to “When Doves Cry,” highlighting key lyrics to give them a little more impact. The words read from the bottom up, in order to flow into the dove flying up into the sky.
here are some progress pictures
Pastels without black details before adding lyrics
Finished piece
When Doves Cry
One year later I did a limited print run of this all purple version.
I spent the month of January completing all of the unfinished work left over from 2015. You’ll see those being integrated as new prints throughout the year.
February 2016 marks my first year being a full-time, self-sustaining artist. It’s been a bumpy road and one of the hardest and most rewarding things I’ve ever done.
One of my early art market setups next to the current setup.
Leading up to February last year I had been going through an ugly breakup, that had me in a pretty bad place. I worked in a local comic shop part-time while doing various graphic design jobs and comic style commissions. I felt that something was missing though and I wasn’t pulling in what I needed to move forward, so I tried to figure out what the next step was.
“The Music” part of the “Songs” series.
I started using art to get through the tough time I was having. It was the first time I really stepped out and used art to express what I was feeling. I started a series called “Songs.” The idea for the series was to talk about various women that inspired me throughout my life. The end result was seven pieces done on illustration board with pastels. It was the first time I had really used art as an outlet. It felt amazing and new. I felt freedom and relief.
But I still felt stagnant. I had all of this art that I was incredibly proud of and that I felt such a connection. But I was frustrated because I didn’t know what to do with the work itself. I thought I should take a shot at selling my work at some of the local art markets. I researched and made lists and decided that in 2015 working those would be the beginning. I sent out one application, I thought the Frenchmen art market seemed like the best place to start. A few weeks passed and I hadn’t heard anything, so I decided to send a follow up email to see what was going on with my application. The day I got the acceptance email, I broke down in tears because I still had no idea how to move forward.
February 12th was the first night I worked the market and all I had was the “Songs” series. It was a slow start, but it was the beginning of change. I was doing something I’d never done before, and I was moving forward. I’ve continued to move forward from that point on.
Now it’s February again, a year later, and I’m in a much better place in so many aspects of my life. I’ve set new goals and I’m confident that I’ll achieve them by 2017. I’ve been revisiting the “Songs” series, doing a series I call “Remixes” — pieces inspired by some of my favorite “Songs.”
Check my calendar to find out where I’m working in February. I’ll be finishing one “Remix” each week, in addition to one larger piece that I’ll be working on every weekend during my month-long artist residency at the Magazine Art Market. Come and join me on February 12th at the Frenchmen Art Market from 7-1 for a Monty-versary party — “One Year of Monty!”. I’ll be drawing the market space and giving away some free prints! If you can’t make it out for that be sure to follow me on all of my social media for live updates and to follow my progress on the “Remixes”.
When I was a kid, I’d make any excuse to jump in the car with my older brother and listen to his tapes: drum and bass, Eazy E, The Chronic. I started digging into the history, paying attention to music news, and talking to people at record stores. NWA and all the members’ projects became consistent favorites. I love almost everything they’ve done since then. I don’t relate to all their experiences, my life has been very different. But I love that “attitude”.
I hear NWA’s passion and drive. Their determination to make change, to do something, to be heard. They were able to get their aggression out and to express their anger through music, dealing with conflict in a non-violent way. To me, that’s what art is about: expressing yourself through your medium, whatever that is. For them, it is gansta rap; for me, expressionist pastels.
NWA has been so important to music and truly made an impact. They have left a legacy and pathed the road for artists like Eminem, Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar and TI. This, from 5 completely broke motherfuckers who got together and shook up rap music. I have so much love and respect for NWA, and I really enjoyed spending time with them through their music as I paid my respect for them through my art.
“I started this gangsta shit and this the motherfucking thanks I get?” –Chin Check N.W.A
My process for making these pieces started with making a playlist of everyone’s albums, all the solo and group projects. I shuffled the songs, threw on my headphones and spent three days sketching them and working with the pastels. Then I hung them up together on the wall and stepped back to look at them together. I couldn’t work on pieces individually, and had to work on them next to each other so that they flow together. I needed a space big enough to look at them all on the same wall, so I could step back, and then get close to work on them.
After sketching, the pastels served as the base coat. Then I put the pieces in order on the wall: Dr. Dre, Yella, Eazy E, Ren and Ice Cube, left to right. I added the black acrylic paint to darken the shadows and get heavy contrast, then the red acrylic background. When it came time to choose the song titles to add, I listened to the artist’s songs and chose my favorites, the ones that really spoke to me about who that artist is. I was trying to pinpoint the impact that NWA has on rap/gansta rap music. After adding the details, I knew each piece was done when I stepped back and felt something from it. Anything more would be too much.
Dre:
Click image to buy prints
When I look at the Dre piece, what stands out to me is the flow, movement of the words around his face. It feels slow and deep, like his beats. I wanted his lettering to be bolder and larger, because Dre and his beats were the backbone of the group.
Yella:
Click image to buy prints.
Yella had a solo album is ‘96 that was completely off my radar. When I started focusing on this piece, I found the album on youtube, and played that link over and over. With the first listen, I wrote down the tracks I liked best. I felt the songs for the first time almost 20 years after they were released. It was like revisiting a past I never had.
Eazy E:
Click image to buy prints.
Looking at the finished piece, I see that Eazy E has a dark side and a light side. This wasn’t intentional, but it makes sense because Eazy E seemed to be conflicted and have a dark and light side to who he was. He was still a drug dealer from Compton who invested his money to put the group together. He rapped about that life he came from. The song title “Still a Nigga” is scrolled around his eye; he was true to himself in his songs.
Ren:
Click here to buy prints.
With Ren’s piece, I really settled into the graffiti look of the pieces. His name is swirled on his hat like smoke in a crystal ball. This one came together when I added the words and the red details at the end. My soundtrack for this piece included listening to “Final Frontier” from “Kizz My Black Azz” on repeat. Ren spoke his truth and had real authenticity. He was talking about who he was:
Ice Cube has his own flow: “Check Yo Self” flows down the side of his head like his hair. I played “Bop Gun” on repeat while I worked on the details of this piece, it’s one of my favorites. Ice Cube was central to NWA with his lyrics and his sound. He created “Boyz-n-the-Hood”. AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted was significant in establishing his identity. Friday expanded his influence.
This series was all about taking scary, creepy, and disturbing things and making them light, colorful and fun. So here’s my take on playing around with some of my favorite monsters. Prints are available in my store for $20
“Stranger With Candy” Click image to buy prints.“Cheshire Cat” Click image to buy prints.“Welcome Home” Click image to buy prints.“Robot” Click image to buy prints.“Zombie” Click image to buy prints.“Cthulu” Click image to buy prints.
Here it is. New art!! Ever since NOLA Time Fest III I’ve been working on a series of Doctor Who pieces. I’ve just finished the last of them and original art is available now and prints will be available for purchase next Monday. You can also pre order prints now at a discounted rate. Prints are $20 each, and , this week only 3 for $45 or all 6 for $90. Prints will ship Monday, June 29, 2015. Here they are.
She was beauty ,passion, love ,and rage burning so hot that she was not only tearing herself apart, it tore me apart. Honestly this piece would be the one that is the beginning of this series. Even though it wasn’t the first one created, I knew where this one would come from, and I knew how it would feel to create it. It was a feeling I had to let go of. I needed to get it out, but I was afraid to feel it. I had to burn and rage like “The Fire” this piece is the result. I really love this one because when I look at it now, I only remember the good things, and the beauty. What does “The Fire” say to you?
When I started this piece my mood was “Be fearless” I thought about how that would look to me. How does it look to dive into uncertainty? How awesome is the feeling of the freefall?
These two pieces for me were about capturing the same mood. Trying to express just who “The Queen” is to me. The Queen is meant to be a representation of love, control, beauty and pain.
“Rise and Fall” on the other hand is based on those same feelings and moods, but from a slightly different angle. I took the focus away from the beauty and focused more on the darker parts of it.
That’s only where these two pieces came from. What do they say to you?
a kid, I’d make any excuse to jump in the car with my older brother and listen to his tapes: drum and bass, Eazy E, The Chronic. I started digging into the history, paying attention to music news, and talking to people at record stores. NWA and all the members’ projects became consistent favorites. I love almost everything they’ve done since then. I don’t relate to all their experiences, my life has been very different. But I love that “attitude”.
montystikkmann.wordpress.com 