We had the good fortune of connecting with Kamille Mayes and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Kamille, what do you attribute your success to?
Experimentation is a major part of my artistic identity and success. I’ve found that taking risks in my artwork has opened doors for opportunities to craft my artistic style, and grow in my career. I have always had a deep appreciation for drawing and painting, but animation is the art form that challenges and inspires me. Since childhood, animated films, music videos, and television shows have heavily influenced my artwork. The level of work and expertise animators dedicate to creating a vibrant, living, moving subjects in an animated video is endlessly interesting to me. I spent years developing my skills in animation and even pursued it in college only to discover that (especially before 2020) video art is a tricky medium to propose to a gallery space.
The purpose of a gallery is to be a space to collect, showcase, and sell physical artwork… I imagine buying and selling video art may be a precarious task – specifically when doing so for an emerging artist like myself. In consideration (*cough* fear) of that, I found myself leaving animation behind to create artwork that best fit gallery walls in an effort to find success. I focused on solely on creating work that I thought would sell. For months I researched extensively on trending styles, mediums, subjects, canvas sizes, and so on to mimic in my work after in hopes of creating paintings that would break me into Atlanta’s art scene.
Surprise! It didn’t work. The formulaic paintings I made were uninteresting and disingenuous, and, as a result, my paintings were rejected from almost every exhibition, residency, and grant that I applied for.
When I took a break from painting to regroup, I discovered my interest in printmaking and reignited my passion for animation. I began experimenting with multimedia paintings by using silkscreen screen printing, acrylic, and charcoal on canvas, and breathed life into my paintings by projecting a short animation on top of it. Allowing myself the freedom play with different combinations of mediums within one piece created unique paintings that contained layers of depth, meaning, and life. This body of work has allowed me to connect with an amazing network of talented artists and organizations, introduced me to patrons, and granted my video art access to gallery walls in group exhibitions. Without experimentation, I would not have been able to start my career.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My artwork relies on acrylic paint, printmaking, and 2D animation to create paintings with layers of depth and meaning as I explore topics of ancestry, race, and navigating mental health with age. Although I love creating multimedia paintings, I am excited for my current project where I am experimenting with different ways to take my videos off the walls and create a more immersive experience for the viewer.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love Gallery 992! Visual artists, musicians, and performing artists, are given a stage to showcase their talent to a captivated audience, practice their craft, and genuinely connect with other artists at Gallery 992. Ralph David Abernathy Blvd also has some great plant-based restaurants near it like Tassili’s Raw Reality Café, Soul Vegetarian Restaurant , Wadada Healthy Market & Juice Bar, and Healthfull Essence to name a few.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
All of the artists that I have met along the way deserve the biggest shout out! Every encounter I’ve had with fellow artists in Atlanta has molded my practice. Whether it’s been a short conversation, a new friend, or a mentorship that has lasted years, every interaction has elevated my perspective, style, or work ethic in some way and I am forever grateful for that. I also want to recognize my parents. Because my parents are history teachers, their deep understanding of world history has influenced my work heavily. Additionally, my father’s passion for film supplied me with the wide variety of live action and animated films that continue to inspire my work to this day!
Website: Kamilleart.carbonmade.com
Instagram: @kamille_art