Today we’d like to introduce you to Seth Pitt.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
When I was 22, bored to pieces manning the register at a cell phone accessory kiosk in the middle of the mall, I drew a few pictures in a notebook. I’d never really done that before. The drawings were crudely made, technically vapid, and pretty damn amusing to me at the time.
I got lucky and wasn’t discouraged that I didn’t know what I was doing and I kept it up. After a year or two I was drawing all the time just following whatever inclinations came my way. I was really fascinated and satisfied that you could simply draw whatever you wanted. And it might not look how you wanted but you could still just dream it up and it would be there then in its own way. I’d chase different styles around until they made sense to me and try to make little worlds out of them. I guess that’s still just what I’m doing now, minus the cell phone accessory clerkship.
Please tell us about your art.
I’ve a lot of different mediums and bodies of work that I play with but the work I really show out in the world is all kind of conceptual cartoon. That work varies too, from series to series but it all has odd creatures navigating a strange world that has a really bizarre mix of silliness and profundity to it. It often seems like I’m just trying to make sense of something about this weird phenomenon of being alive and then say it simply.
That being said, I’m pretty drawn, specifically to the magnificent nature of things when I make art. I really value work that dives into the dark and the tribulation we endure as well, but I am often pointing my flashlight at that simple magic stuff that exists out here.
I’m also pretty interested in finding things to say that can be agreed upon. I’ve noticed over the years that the folks that like my work are all across the board. I like that. It’s rad to watch a grandparent and their grandkid enjoy it together. I think it’s because I seek out those things that humanity has a large camaraderie around. Nobody hates the moon. Nobody wants to give up their hope. Everyone has a heart. I really just like thinking about those things, so that’s a lot of what I end up making.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
Well, I do think that it’s always proper to mention to aspiring artists how much work it is when it’s your profession, if you choose to take it that direction. You’re making your creative self your product. Which is weird. That next thing you have to do is something you dream up. So, you’re always kind of chasing this new version of your imagination. It’s an endless task and there’s SO much to do all the time if you want to do your job really well
However, from a creative standpoint, I think it’s pretty hard to offer up advice for other artists. Everyone works so differently. I think, ‘make sure you give yourself room to play’ is a pretty safe bet. Of course, it’s serious work, I mean, you’re making something that never existed before, new life, but your also just a silly magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. So, whether it’s part of a piece you’re really focused on or just on a piece of scrap paper after you’ve left the studio, I think it’s good for me to try playful things, things I don’t know so well and just see what happens. It’s good to be an astronaut in your own head, from time to time. I’ve found a lot luck that way, which has led me on to a lot of more refined and developed work in the future.
On that note, it’s really easy for me to give a piece of advice to folks who don’t consider themselves artists, such as: ‘you can make art, if you want’. That goes back to the only lesson I do really wish I learned earlier. Before I started drawing, I really believed I couldn’t draw. I dreaded art class in middle school and dropped out of my high school art class in the first quarter. I really just didn’t believe I was any good at it. When I look back now, I realize that I was just trying to make art in this really particular sort of way and it wasn’t how I wanted to work. I wish I had known then that it wasn’t so narrow. You just find some wish to create and explore it. I think that’s the only real charge of being an artist.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
The best place for folks who would be reading this to see my work or support it would be to go to Space Montrose on Westheimer Rd. I also show my work online but it’s way cooler to go look at it in real life and support an independent business. I guess at this point there’s about 40 other small art spaces around the country where you could find me too. If you really wanted to go for it, you could come visit my solo gallery ‘Creature’ in Thomas, WV, which also happens to be my favorite town in the infinite universe.
Contact Info:
- Address: Creature 232 East Avenue Thomas, WV 26292
- Website: www.theartofseth.etsy.com
- Email: creaturesofseth@gmail.com
- Instagram: @theartofseth
- Facebook: @theartofseth
Image Credit:
Seth Pitt
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