Damon Davis has a reputation as a mover and shaker within his communities, of which several exist, as he works in: video/film, design, visual art, music, and more. A multimedia artist by any definition, the amount of websites that he points to, detailing his various disciplines, indicates as much. (And we’ll link to those at the bottom of this piece.) Asked about his work being featured this Friday evening at the Kranzberg Arts Center, his note back was quick, sent within the span of a half-hour.
That visual work will be featured alongside the video of Chad Eivins and the digital visual art of Black James, a member of Davis’ FarFetched Music Collective.
We asked him a few questions about his process, part of an evolving series of Q & As with artists across a wide spectrum of audio and visual forms.
Art school? Self-taught? Some variety of both? Or none of the above?
I was a fine arts major for a minute in college at SLU, ended up with a communications degree though. Most of my techniques are self-taught through trial and error.
Regarding your creative habits, are you a night owl or an early bird?
Both. I don't sleep, I am immortal, I have inside me blood of kings. I'm constantly on it, no real work or sleep schedule.
What are your thoughts on crowdfunding for the arts? And is that option any part of your own approach to creating and selling work?
I think crowdfunding is a great tool for the modern-day artist. I personally had a victory with my art/design partner Lenard Blair with our fully funded Kickstarter campaign to power our design dreams through our collective Civil Ape. It does as much influence my creation process or subject matter for personal project.
To what degree do you enjoy having public contact, whether that means selling your work at a fair, a gallery opening, etc.?
I enjoy public interaction when I’m talking to other creative people about process and inspiration. I prefer the solitude of the studio to a gallery opening, though.
What other St. Louis artists inspire or motivate you?
In terms of visual art, Stan Chisholm is a constant inspiration, so is Kevin McCoy and Lenard Blair, all close friends. The Screwed Arts Crew constantly kill it.
Altrs: New Work By Damon Davis, Black James, Chad Eivins (aka Chizmo TV) happens Friday, November 7, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Kranzberg Center for the Arts, 501 N. Grand, as part of the Farfetched Arts Incubator. To get a sense of Davis far-ranging work, check out his LinkedIn profile, as well as pages for Scripts 'N' Screwz, Civil Ape, Heartache and Paint, and his Loosescrewz SoundCloud page.
