Curtis Griffin

Curtis Griffin is the founder of Art of Austin!

I have to admit that its been a bit surreal to finally feature myself after all these years, but I felt it was finally time. I asked Fabian Puente, Art of Austins very first featured artist, to sit down and do a video interview with me. Below you can find my gallery and the normal written interview but be sure to check out the video interview for a deeper dive!

Fabian – How long have you been an Austin based artist and how did you find your way here?

Griffin – I have been in Austin since 2007. I was born in New Orleans and raised in rural Virginia. I went to college in Philadelphia, bounced around a bit after, and then landed in Austin. I got to Texas as fast as I could as they say.

Fabian – So you are the founder of Art of Austin – what made you start AoA?

Griffin – I had been in Austin a few years and was starting to get really immersed in the art scene and was really excited about all the creative people I was finding here. I felt like I had finally found my tribe! So in 2010 I bought the domain, not really knowing what I was going to do with it. I continued to hang out at venues and got deeper in the local scene and in 2016, I launched the website, brand, and social. I have always just wanted Art of Austin to shine a spotlight on the incredible amount of dope artists here in Austin. The community and family that has grown around Art of Austin over the years has been a huge bonus!

Fabian – When did you realize that you were an artist?

Griffin – I have been drawing and painting since I was a child. It has been my primary focus and passion for as long as I can remember.

Fabian – Can you speak to your art training?

Griffin – I always had extremely supportive art instructors, even since kindergarten. After high school, I studied art a couple of years at a local community college and eventually transferred to Tyler School of Art at Temple University. I graduated with a BFA in Painting and Drawing with minors in Art History and Glassblowing. Since then, I have been finding my own way, gleaming all types of tricks and tips from local and international artists. You dont need school (although it greatly accelerates things) – just never stop learning and pushing yourself.

Fabian – Where do you find inspiration?

Griffin – I listen to music probably 80% of the day, so thats a big one. Being in nature and recharging is also a daily necessity. Pre-Covid, going to shows and seeing what other artists have been creating was also a huge source of inspiration – I look forward to getting back to that one day.

Fabian – What is your work concerned with?

Griffin – My work is generally figurative with some underlying narrative. I work through a lot of series – its sort of a mental way for me to try new things or explore new content. Technically, I pay a lot attention to rendering, color, and composition. I try to keep the work modern and relevant – I feel modern art should always speak to the state of the time that it is created in in some way.

Fabian – What are your preferred medium(s)?

Griffin – Oil paint, Spray paint, Pixels – in that order. Mosaic has been creeping in there – really enjoying how pieces of glass almost physically represent digital pixels.

Fabian – Do you have any feelings towards Digital Art versus traditional mediums?

Griffin – I think digital work speeds up a lot of processes and if it works for your workflow, run with it – its like having every single tool at your fingertips instantly. Ive always been of the opinion of that artists should lean into technology and utilize its advantages to increase creative output as opposed to being luddites, but thats just me. I took 2020 off from painting on canvas and only made digital work that I then had printed as stretched Giclee canvas prints. I continued to get my paint fix with almost daily spray paint sessions (which kept me sane this year), but as far as available work, it was all digital.

But at the end of the day, digital is just not the same as paint on canvas. Or spray paint on wood. Or paint on anything. There is something optically different between light projecting through pixels on a display and the subtractive color mixing that occurs when your eye perceives physical paint on canvas. I plan to get back to canvas in 2021 for sure – hopefully I will have more spaces/events to show it other than my webshop.

Fabian – Who are some artists that you look to?

Griffin – A huge swath. I believe in studying art history and building on that. Otherwise you wont know who influences who and in the end, who you are replicating. There is nothing new under the sun. I am positive there is an artist out there right now on a similar frequency as you. Find them and learn from them.

Lately I have been looking at Caravaggio, Titian, Joram Roukes, Lucio Carvalho, Ivana Besevic, Max Sansing, Leon Keer, Odeith, David Chefetz, Sam Spratt, Jenny Saville, Claudio Picasso, Drew Merritt, John Phillip Osborne.

I also get a ton of inspiration from all the local Austin artfam, you know who you are.

Fabian – If you could own 1 piece from a living artist, who would it be?

Griffin – Kehinde Wiley

Fabian – Big question. What do you feel the role of art is in the world?

Griffin – I feel like I should say something profound and deep here but this is a big question, so lets break it down to 2 levels, personal experience and collective influence.

Art is empowering to an individual, giving them a voice to express themselves, which cultivates knowledge and spirit. On a larger scale, art and design has been integral to the evolution of humankind as a whole. You literally can not imagine a world without it. I dont think you get a lot bigger than that.

Fabian – What else do you enjoy besides making art?

Griffin – Making instrumental beats, mountain biking (aka #shredding), Quantum Physics and the actual nature of reality, freelance website development. Increased and deeper meditation is a 2021 resolution.

Fabian – Where can we currently find your work?

Griffin – I have a piece over at Something Cool Studios but with Covid, thats about it physically unless you wanted to stop by my home studio to see what Ive been spray painting in the yard. Of course all the social medias (*links below) – I can’t wait for something to replace Instagram. I’ve been working on more video content, so my Youtube is worth keeping an eye on. And Tiktok, am I right?

Fabian – Any final advice for all the artists reading out there?

Griffin – Fine tune your formula – find your balance to optimize your creative output. Go to galleries and museums and physically look at work, there is no comparison. Try not to compare your journey to others perceived successes. Listen to critique of your work with an open mind and learn from it. Dont be afraid to try new things, content or material wise. Stay persistent and true to your vision and doors will open for you when you knock.

Watch the full, unscripted interview here!

Connect with Griffin!