Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to April Sullivan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

April, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I grew up in the suburbs of Houston, TX with my parents and two sisters- my twin sister Alicia, and our younger sister Kacy. Art has always been a part of my life. My mom is an artist as well, and encouraged us to do art as kids. She enrolled me in art classes at a young age and we were always doing creative projects at home. One of the best things my parents said to me as a kid was, “We will love you no matter what. Even if you end up selling pencils on the roadside.” Another thing my mom taught me about art is “there are no mistakes in art.” How freeing is that? That attitude gave me the freedom to pursue my dreams. My parents are still some of my biggest cheerleaders and supporters of my art.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I attended the University of Texas at Austin in the early 199os and earned a BFA in Art History. I think this was the best path for me because although I knew I wanted to pursue visual arts as a career, I was unsure which media exactly. So Art History was a way for me to study all of it.

From 2000 to 2020 I focused specifically on the craft of Yarn Painting, a two dimensional art form that involved adhering yarn over a drawing. The technique is similar to the traditional art form of the Huichol Indians of Mexico. I spent 20 years perfecting that art media.

In 2020 the pandemic hit, and my art practice changed. Yarn Paintings were a very meditative practice. My brain and body were having trouble settling into a meditative state when so much was unknown and in chaos in the world around me. I was unable to quiet my mind to continue this art form. So I took as many classes and workshops I could find to continue staying creative while exploring new mediums.

Soon I found my new art form, Blackout Poetry. Blackout Poetry is an art form that involved using found books and altering the text to create a new text in the form of a poem. I start by opening a book to any page and scanning the words. When I find one of interest, I look at other words on the page and form short phrases among them. I like to use only one page per poem and I like for the words I find to be in a logical and easy reading order on the page. Once I find my poem, I tear that page out, mark out the extraneous words with a marker, and then embellish the poem with mixed media collage, drawing, painting, or whatever suits the words that have arisen.

I love this new art practice because it has been a way to create while challenging my brain and getting unconscious thoughts out of my head and onto paper. I surprise myself with what I create each time. I have never considered myself a poet, but now I am being called one by other poets, and that is exciting. I am able to express myself more with my art now than ever before while still creating beautiful finished pieces.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When the pandemic hit in 2020 I had just finished a new series of work that I was planning to display in a few upcoming exhibitions. Those exhibitions were canceled. At the same time, my motivation and peacefulness around creating was being challenged. While it was a hard time, I took that time to continue staying creative and using art as a way to play and learn. It kept me feeling joyful about art at a time when I was unsure where I was going with my art. The fee for my domain name for my art website was coming due in a few months and I had not made any updates to my website. Was it worth the fee? Was I still an artist? I decided to do a course in “The Artist’s Way.” The weekly course would be a great exercise and the ending of the course coincided with the payment due date for my website. I felt like I would know the right answer by the end of “The Artist’s Way.” And I did! I ultimately decided to let that website domain go, because I had found the new art form that would be my way forward. I am glad I gave myself the time to think about and play with art before making my decision. One thing I know about myself is that I am and always will be an artist.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

The best thing society can do to support artists and creatives is to like and share their social media, attend their events, and buy their art. When I travel I love to visit the local artist studios or attend a local theater production. It is fun to see creative people in their natural environments and celebrate them. It’s an easy thing to do that does not always need to be an expensive endeavour.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ArtworkByAprilS