Painting – The Outlet

Rob Regis is a Hatian artist and emcee whose artistry reminds me of the Graduation-era Kanye West. After stumbling upon his treasure of art , I realized that his art takes on a religious , comic book aesthetic. The abstract imagery pierces the soul as if you’re staring into the eyes of the devil himself. One of my favorite pieces by him is ” Nexus , No Fear. ” Every little detail of the painting caught my eyes , from the blackness of the background to the color of the skin tone. The painting signified rebirth from a spiritual perspective. It was like looking at an inexpensive, modern take on Van Gogh’s ” A Starry Night .” Similar to how we become ” new, fixed characters” after being baptized , it compelled me to stop thinking of art in a cliche manner & to break away from conformity to popular opinions & ideas. Rob’s artistry is really incredible & it’s quite the outer body experience. Check out more of his art on Instagram @rob_regis and give his music a listen over at artlord.xxx .

Name: Saadiq Tafari

Twitter|IG : _tafari_ | _tafariii_

Age: 18

Sign: Libra

Craft: Painting, Graphic Design, Sculpture

1. When did you realize you were interested in art?

As a kid I was always pretty proficient at drawing, I made a dollar for selling dragon ball-z drawings in 2nd grade. My art teachers in my junior and senior year in high school encouraged me to take art seriously after they saw my “talent.”

2. What influences you and where do you get your inspiration?

My little brothers are pretty cool, they’re twins and I’ve carefully watched them grow to be better than I. That growth is so awesome, my art right now is all about growth. inevitably i get inspiration from music, and movies. but most of my inspiration comes from whatever emotional state I’m in.

3. Who are your top 5 favorite artists?

Miya Bailey, Paper Frank, Mike Rubendall, Nightmare Mikey, Shelby&Sandy.. no order, I try to stay clear of following the “regulars” that people follow, like George Condo and Basquiat, I don’t want my style to be influenced by them, I see it too much.

4. If you could work with anyone dead or alive who would it be?

Miya Bailey

5. What is your creative process?

Im really weird about this question, I don’t really have any set process as I just want to grow, and growth requires change. I do like to clean up my surroundings and get good thinking space before anything tho. I also work on multiple projects at the same time so that keeps up the random order of things.

6. What differentiates you from different artists?

For one, what i want out of art. i find a lot of creatives have little confidence in how far they can go due to the nature of being an artist. I made my dreams my goals, I don’t want to settle for a job where i get a check twice a month. thats not me. for two, I don’t put myself in a box labeled “style”. I find a lot of creatives get the whole “style” thing twisted. to me its about HOW you paint, I find that others think its WHAT you paint, they do the same thing over and over hoping people will forever love it and trace it back to them. its cool though

7. What impact do you wish to leave with your art?

First, I want the idea of the “starving artist” to vanish. i want to inspire younger creatives to chase their ideas and make a living out of what they love. Tired of this notion that no artist can ever make the money they desire. I also just want everyone to enjoy my golden ideas and my train of thought. i want my art to be relatable, but I don’t want to produce art for the purpose of relating to others. Its my art, people invest in me when they buy my work, if you just looking for something to relate to, why not just print something off the internet, for free?