Meet Kerian Massey | Illustrator, Painter, Muralist and Graphic Designer

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

Hi Kerian, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I grew in Danielson, Connecticut, where old victorian houses were dispersed amongst salt box houses and dilapidated barns. The ever changing seasons always peeked my curiosity, as each new cycle brought with it glorious shifts in colors and sensations. The slumber and contrast of winter to the vivid colors and hurried whirr that surrounded the summer sun. There was always a delicious visual to most days, be it a raging spring stream or the quiet of snow covered forest. I absolutely fell in love with nature growing up. I had access to so many parks, lakes and the ocean. Mossy covered rocks looked like small worlds where bugs ruled supreme. My imagnation got lost on the forest floor so many times, that when you look at my art today, you still see the debris in most of my work.

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 art is… woah well, I guess it’s illustrative in style. Inspired by Frida Kahlo, Aunia Kahn and Mark Reyden. I love bright colors and consider myself sort of surrealistic. I paint what I like and feel. Sometimes it’s easy stuff like cars, and then I’ll decide on something a bit more emotional like an animal, and every once n a while, I’ll sit for ages working on a painting that speaks to me, be it a themed shoe or an anatomical heart with an apothecary cabinet behind it. Usually those pieces have more depth of meaning to them, so they take longer. I think what sets me apart from other artists is my overall style and the fact that my work seems to revolve around the balance of life and death, dark and light, good and bad. It’s definitely a key element in much of my work. Must be the Gemini in me.

My biggest accomplishment, quite literally was a massive mural I created for the backside of the Cannery building in Lindale, Texas. It took almost 3 weeks to complete the two signs and two promotional murals for Texas Music City and Miranda Lambert’s Ponderosa Pour House. My second biggest accomplishment was an installation art piece inside the green room at the Cannery. Unfortunately it’s rarely open to the public. Those might be cool and all, but the one I am the most proud of is a small pillar I got to paint in conjunction with several other local artists under a bridge, in Tyler, TX., where the homeless congregate for church services and where they get food and other supplies to help them.

I went to college at an art school in Arizona, called The Art Center, where I got a two year degree in Advertising Art. I was on a ramen noodle budget with caviar dreams. I moved back to New England where I landed a jewelry illustration job where Anne Klien, Kenneth Cole and Guess were our clients, worked on car interiors, and arranged flowers to pay the bills. Married my now husband and moved to Texas. I started an actual art job where I illustrated school murals for a mural company called Graffixx. I was lucky enough that I didn’t even have to paint them. I just drew copious amounts of lunging animals with various open mouthed snarls breaking through brick walls. It tested my skills as an illustrator and fast paced me into the world of computer mock ups and design.

I didn’t do tons of painting for myself until my children were a bit older . We had gotten a bit bigger home where I could cordon off a space that was safe to leave art supplies out unbothered by the little fingers of destruction. The hardest part was accumulating enough time and money to create the work I wanted to make. I had a family and job to juggle. My art only grew as my children got bigger and didn’t require as much of my time. Finding the money to create was tough and forget about framing art, that was a pipe dream until I actually won a contest where I got $200 in framing. You would have thought that I won a million bucks.

The more I branched out into my community, the more support I received for my work as an artist. I got to design cartoon maps for local towns, I created logos, designs and illustrations for local businesses and publications. It was incredible the amount of support I got from everyone in both Edom and Ben Wheeler, Texas. At one point I was given the opportunity to even open a gallery with some area artisans. It was kismet.

My artistic career has wound through various professions, but I tend to land regularly on illustration, mural work, acrylic paintings, chalk art and graphic design. I’m currently obsessed with stained glass and have a private studio dedicated to it along with my painting supplies. I’m hoping to learn the art of stained glass painting over the next year or so. I’m moving deeper into creating meaningful work and geared less towards mass appeal. I want to find people I can glean from as much knowledge as possible and maybe get even better in the process. I’m hoping that I can create even more meaning in my art without it being too literal. I’ve got alot to work on.

As I go into another chapter of my life, closing said gallery, I find that inspiring other people gives me the most joy. I want to see those around me succeed. That is probably why I loved having an art space, because it was just so rewarding to see other people feel valued for their work. Now I am in the mindset that my work is really just for me, and my outward energy is to help elevate other people into the art world, not that I’m anyone special. I just feel like we need people to keep us motivated because art is important. It is the first thing to get lambasted when society starts failing. It is the last thing to show up when a town flourishes, and it is integral to the culture and spirit of a community. Art is the mouthpiece of what is going on in the world. All I know is that while I’m alive I want people to feel validated. I am sending ripples of encouragement to artists to unabashedly dive into their art and use it to mirror their world, speak their thoughts or scream into the void, whatever best serves them. Because with out art, we can’t breathe. It inebriates us and pulls thoughts out of us for the world to see.

My next move is to get the Junebug Art Festival (at the Forge in Ben Wheeler) in full swing. It is June 16th and 17th. We are still looking for artists. Hope to see you there!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I adore the Dallas farmer’s market for all the local goodies you can get. Dallas actually hosts sevarl farmers markets, including some that run throughout the year. I love to participate in the art events hosted by the Bath House Cultural Center at White Rock Lake. They run several programs throughout the year so you’re bound to find something fun going on there. Plus the trails surrounding it are great to explore. Anytime I can, I have to make a stop at Dolly Pythons. It’s an antique and funk store thats filled to the brim with all the things tossed out 30 plus years ago, that we didn’t know we needed. My single most favorite place though is the Dallas Arboretum botanical gardens. It just send me back to the lushness of New England. I can get lost in there and just take photos forever.

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?
My parents never dissuaded me from becoming an artist, on the contrary, they pushed me to dive deeper into it and are my biggest supporters, especially my mom. She is always trying to find ways to help me be even more motivated, like buying my work and sharing her insights. My community in East Texas, including Sara Brisco at the Forge Bar and Grill and Seong McClaren of Lindale Tourism both are ardent supporters of my work and without them, I’d be a really starving artist. I’d also like to shoutout to my husband Chad, because he really is the anchor in my life, when storms get rough. I couldn’t be the artist I am without his encouragement and willingness to deal with the economic inconsistencies that come with being an artist.

Website: keriansart.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keriansart/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerian-massey-19360030

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kerianmassey/

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/keriansart/artwork-by-me-kerian-massey/

Image Credits
Kenina IP