Meet Isiah McCalla | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Isiah McCalla and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Isiah, what are you inspired by?
Inspiration goes a long way for me. When I was younger I’d remember seeing many artists on films live their lives freely and sort of “carefree”. Even in how they would work. Seeing how some would blast music in their studios and dance around while brushing away at their canvases was appealing and inspiring to me. At times I felt I truly belonged in the early era of “modern art” because of not only the influence, but the creative expression of it. Artists like Da vinci, Michelangelo, and Van Gogh are a few to name with these practices of “creative expression”. Each one of their paintings are forms of expression I tend to practice and bring to life. Whenever I begin my paintings, I tend to let whatever song is currently playing set the mood for how I will go about a project. Sometimes it’s also a matter of internal thoughts and emotions. With being an artist, we tend to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. As we are creating worlds ourselves. In my world, I’ve experienced a lot of things. Both good and bad. And through those experiences I love incorporating them within my works. That’s what keeps my paintbrush going.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m still on this journey as an “emerging” artist. With little representation, and exhibition opportunities, I have quite a long way to go. Although I have over 100 works to this day. My paintings mainly focus around abstraction. Expressionism and a few other styles to be exact. Charcoal and acrylic are currently my main mediums. I began to have a deep love for charcoal products. The raw grittiness of the material is what makes me admire it so much. I paint a lot of faces or objects based off of temporary feelings. Sometimes music accompanies my brushwork towards my canvases to create vital gestures and markings. Art has always been apart of my life ever since my childhood. Now that I’m an adult, I’ve turned it to a reality to live that “artist” lifestyle. By going on various adventures and ending up in a different world literally is the life I experience as an artist.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d definitely take one of my friends to a rooftop view of the city. In a private location of course haha. Followed by possibly eating at a local restaurant trying new foods. I’m always open to trying new things, so that would be something I’d consider. What I find exciting is running through the city, literally, stumbling into some underground events like parties, performances, or whatever comes up. Things majority of my friends, even myself at times, wouldn’t even know what’s going on. We’d just end up there through exploring.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
If it wasn’t for one of my family members for providing me with some supplies when I was younger, I probably would not have pursued art seriously as of today. She helped me get into an art program during the summer of 2015 for a few weeks to improve my skills, and at first I was a little skeptical about continuing the class. This was because we were actually learning the practices of painting and not drawing like I imagined. My skills with painting were not as proficient as my skills with drawing were at the time, so I didn’t have the motivation to continue because of that reason. Though the instructor of the class had shared some words of encouragement with me and even showed a few “hacks” to getting better with painting. Because of those two, I continue to educate myself with more knowledge and information of this craft.

Website: Coming soon

Instagram: https://Instagram.com/isiahsmccalla

Twitter: https://Twitter.com/isiahmccalla

Other: Email: Isaiahmccalla232@gmail.com