We were lucky to catch up with Davon Brantley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Davon, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

My process of learning came at first , from going to the library as a kid and just picking up books about drawing. I would look at manga artists, portrait artists , 3-d artists , sculptural artists and etc. I would teach myself different techniques along my journey as an artist and even when I was younger (still using crayola’s haha) I would add to the designs in coloring pages that I had. Through years of just using the resources I had which was computer paper in the house , drawing my grandmothers plants, stopping movies in the middle of watching them… I taught myself the ways of art ! All the way up to going to college for it , where I was really able to fine tune my ” mark ” as an artist. I was finally able to learn from professionals on the “do’s and don’t’s” of certain mediums. Gaining advice from my peers and professors on how to advance not only technically about my work but conceptually , helped make me who I am today. I wish I had taken more art classes in High School because that would have made my development as an artist much easier and I would’ve known more about the art world before college but I am also grateful for not having much of a traditional artists background because it allowed me to adapt easier and become more open in my practice. Which I think is essential to the creative process. I never allow myself to stay comfortable , I challenge myself in new ways each piece and I am able to adapt easily when I don’t have access to certain materials. I once thought this was an obstacle but it actually was a blessing.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Davon Brantley ! I hope that my name will one day be known by many in and outside of the arts ! I am an Artist based in Cleveland OH, who works primarily in Drawing and Painting. My work is based in self portraiture , where I analyze mental identities that make up who we are as individuals. Exploring these mental identities allow me to touch on subjects that are typically seen as taboo; our emotions, masculinity, sexuality, and meditations on life and death. Through larger life pieces , I introduce you to subjects that become vessels for these themes and emotions. Thus allowing the viewer to consecrate these figures and not demonize. I give you a look inside the soul in order to seek understanding within your own inner conflict-ions.

I am most proud of why I am creating and what I does to provoke conversation. A lot of these “characters” and “situations” that I present them in allow the viewer to look at these emotions as if they are relatable. Then through that you think about them in relation to your own sadness, happiness, grief or meditations on the world and how we present these bodies. I am proud of the support that I have had in making this vulnerable work. I love everyone who has purchased a piece, print or etc.. to support not only me but the work at hand. This work is basically a therapy session. It’s cathartic and allows me to share my view of how these parts of ourselves should not be buried in our subconscious but should be actively checked upon.

I want everyone to know that my art is not solely just for me but for them as well. If I can help others feel safe expressing and exploring these states of being then my job gets easier haha ! This especially for other men out there , especially Black men like myself !

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I would like to say first in context to my answer, is that I am a very stubborn and petty person. I was told many times through my life that “you can’t do much with art” , “what about being a starving artists” , “okay, but what do you really want to do?” “I just don’t want you working somewhere crazy because it didn’t work out”… and much more. And the main drive for my creative journey has been to prove those people wrong haha Of course , I genuinely love getting my message out there about my work and providing opportunities for other artists and people but I have sat with myself a lot and discussed this and that is always near the top of my mind. A stubborn , petty vendetta to make sure people see that I can do what I love and be happy and prosperous.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Something that people who are not creatives might not understand about my journey is that it has been VERY hard. I do not come from a background where the Visual Arts was something a family member went off and just did ! My family probably was terrified at the decision I was making and definitely didn’t know how to guide me in the proper way to my dream. They just didn’t know. But they always loved that I was creative ; doing videos at family functions, drawing, painting etc., they loved it and I know they did. It didn’t help that I wasn’t getting any art classes in high school or that I didn’t know that the Museum was literally 10 minutes away from my house but I survived. I persevered through all of this because nothing was more important to me than becoming and artist and doing something with it.

People think that artist just always know what they want to talk about with their work after the first 2 years of college or just doing art in general. I HAD NO IDEA and on top of that I was going through a lot of stuff personally with relationships, family and myself. My journey being a creative was a STRUGGLE , it wasn’t easy and its still not. There’s days that I look at myself and say ” I definitely don’t deserve anything for the arts” and I make sure that I get myself out of that rut. There’s rejections from proposals, no one buying your prints, not selling an original when you thought it was gold, not getting recognized, people not wanting to pay you what the work is worth….

All these things have happened and then some… But I have never given up. It’s not easy being an artist. A lot of work goes into it so if you can support , SUPPORT. It doesn’t have to always be a purchase… Attend an exhibition , share artists work, be there for them. Treat them like a big time artist when you can because when we are getting ready for bed at night , our thoughts start to get the best of us sometimes.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dbrantleyart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.dbrantleyart.com/