Today we’d like to introduce you to Emmanuel Gray.
Hi Emmanuel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started off young as an artist. During my early childhood I was in love with drawing and sketching. I gained inspiration from some of my family members, such as my aunt and my uncles. I was always surrounded by art and artists and I had the passion and curiosity needed to learn and make it my own. My interests in art led me to summer programs. It also provided me with a safe space as I grew up in and outside of school. I am the artist I am today because of the family members and teachers who took the time to invest in my craft and encourage me as I developed. I have since been able to take the lessons that I have learned throughout my life and make them my own. This has allowed me to broaden my horizons. Now, in addition to drawing, I do ink drawings, vivid paintings and mixed media work.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has not been smooth! The hardest thing about being an artist, for me, has been self-promotion. Living off of your art can be a hard thing to do. Finding the right audience for my work has been difficult as well. I recently started working full time to alleviate some of the stresses of being a full time artist. It has helped a lot, as being an artist is very expensive. It helps to have money coming in consistently for things like bills, food etc. Especially since art can be fickle and inconsistent. for example, I have had two art sales where the buyers took a whole year to pay off the painting they wanted. Both of which were under a thousand dollar value. This makes it very difficult to live off of the work. In addition, I have found that people do not understand the work that goes into the craft making the price of work another challenging factor.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am currently a 7th and 8th grade special education math teacher. My goal is to help students get up to their grade levels academically. In addition to this, I am also determined to spread art within schools by way of mural work. I aim to encourage and empower students through positive art pieces. In addition, I want to show students the possible career paths they can have through art.
I specialize in abstract, weird art. I paint things that are less than normal. My work is both fun and creepy with bold color. The thing that sets me apart from others is that I embrace the darker sides of my mind as well as the light. I allow myself to flow with my art and am not always fully conscious of what I am or will be making. This process, where I just let the art flow along with my current state of mind or feeling, is how I create a large amount of my work. Overall, what sets me apart is that I stay true to my own style while valuing my work. With this formula, I am able to create marvolus stories from a still image. I am able to speak to people through my art and make them feel things such as love, pain, sorrow, joy, rage and more.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory was leaving the country for a trip to Nepal.
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