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

Hi Kevin, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I grew up at a small ranch in one of the most sparsely populated counties in the United States. If you guessed King County, Texas then you are absolutely right! When I mean sparse, I mean sparse! There’s definitely more cattle than there are people in the entire rural and deeply conservative county. What comes with social isolation and growing up not having a whole lot brings in a lot of time reserved to being creative as a young child. I used a lot of that time toward art making such as drawing, painting, poetry and later on photography. That creative itch has stayed persistent to this day with the stories I want to make with my artwork all based on the isolation and anxiety created from living in such a small bubble out there.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Being an contemporary artist can be a very difficult job because the road isn’t always a very clear one to travel to. Not only that, but it is also a very personal journey and everyone’s circumstances are always different from yours. That kind of freedom to create your own road can be a bit scary, I can’t lie about that! However, being an artist is about the journey that you take, not the destination necessarily and I made a lot of pieces that I am definitely proud of along the way.

As far as my drawings and paintings go, I primarily use charcoal and oil paint as my medium of choice and myself as the subject matter. I feel like my work has always been a personal and visual diary of my own deepest thoughts and emotions relating to my own mental well being and whatever the opposite of hubris is. I guess most of my work can be described as abstract realism but I don’t like putting those kind of labels for my work anymore. It can be too limiting to what I want to achieve.

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 love all the art galleries and museums Dallas has to offer, especially the ones that are currently in the design district such as the Dallas Contemporary and some outside of it like the artist co-op 500X Gallery. There’s so many great artists just incubating here in Dallas that I can see it continue to grow as a creative hotbed for many years to come.

If I want to take a break from art and do something else, you would be able to catch me at one of the many concert venues that I frequent like either Trees or The Factory, both in Deep Ellum!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give a shout out to my family for always encouraging me to continue with my passion! They are my biggest supporters for sure and I wouldn’t be where I am today without their love and support.

Website: https://kevincontrerasartist.com

Instagram: kevincontrerasartist

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