Featured Artist

Calvin Crimson

Calvin Crimson studied art at Southern California State University, Long Beach. He learned to love animation as a child, but studied in order to learn the basics.  Calvin Crimson graduated with his Drawing and Painting degree this semester. 

Some of your works seems dark and serious, while other pieces are bright and light-hearted, does your mood affect your work?
As a Drawing and Painting artist, I like to bring people's attention about what's happening now: urban living conditions and social changes. To me, it's also as a personal diary to record what I see, and express how I felt. I like to go to different places to see and observe.  I do a lot of sketches of people on the streets unnoticed. Then, I like to compose these images together in an environment, to tell a urban life story, with the picture. 

It seems that some of your work is influenced by Anime, what draws you to that genre?  

I still like animation and manga drawings, I do those works for fun, and trying to have some fantasy on my own.  It's a relaxing practice away from the serious works.  Previously, I was drew rock and punk- style illustration work for fun.  As I explore more in school, I began to bring serious issues from my mind to the anime drawings.  My new series of "Collectors" drawings are focused on materialism, we like to buy, to collect, and sometimes this materialism is out of control.  Often those material goods aim to fulfill an emptiness or sadness inside of us.

Are there new themes or mediums you anticipate exploring in your upcoming work?

Right now, I am doing some watercolor works on the future landscape which about the nature's changing and various environments.  I am also exploring another technique by using highlighter to create a book about the teenagers.

Great work, right!  Many thanks to Calvin Crimson for sharing his work.

What do you think of Calvin's drawings and paintings?