We recently connected with Emmanuel Gray and have shared our conversation below.

Emmanuel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

The first time that I knew I wanted to pursue art professionally was at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020. My dad asked me to sketch out an image for him so that he can have it turned into a logo. At the time I had not drawn or done art in several years as I had taken a long hiatus. I had been an artist my entire life. Drawing was my favorite pastime growing up. When I was younger I would wake up and draw before school and I would draw some more when I got home. While in high school, I was entered into an art program at the University of the Arts by my 10th grade art teacher. I would spend a month of that summer taking basic drawing, figure drawing, live model drawing, painting, print making and graphic arts. It was both a challenging and rewarding program. My technical skills and understanding of art grew and I also made a lot of great art that I love even now. Although I had a great time there, I became burnt out and I did not dive back into my artist abilities again until after attaining my masters degree from Villanova University in 2019. After that long break, a simple request from my dad sparked my passion once more. He asked for a sketch and instead, I bought photoshop and illustrator and made him the logo myself. From there, I began to draw again and I also got a little into digital work. I started making graphic logos for family and close friends, where I would draw the main image and upload it to photoshop to add color and details. It was around this time that I had realized that I could be an artist professionally. Once my interest was sparked anew, my work took on a whole new look and meaning. 2020 was also the year that I began painting and selling my work. I had known that I wanted to be an entrepreneur in college but I could not seem to find the right venture at the time. That one image for my dad which turned into two, made me realize that I had the skill and talent that I needed to do the work professionally. It also helped me realize that all this time I was looking for something that I had possessed the entire time. So I made the decision that I would make a living and become successful off of my own craft.

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

My name is Emmanuel Gray. I come from a family who did a lot of art when I was young. I remember my aunt and uncle always making art. I was fascinated with it as a child. I caught on to the craft early on and it became an escape and place of peace for me. It is still one of the most relaxing things that I can do for myself.
As an artist I offer original canvas paintings, abstract portraits, and mural work. My work is abstract and eccentric and it imbues a large range of emotion. Through my art, I seek to bring places to life. To make art for people to feel and experience. To make captivating work that pulls people in and keeps them coming back.
I am most proud of my willingness to continue to learn and grow within my craft. To not play it safe but to simply make great work and trust myself in that process.
I would like potential clients to know that whether you are getting a portrait, original work, or mural you will be able to see yourself in and relate to my work. I also pride myself in having a style that is unique to me. My work is very distinct and even though there is range, you can tell I did it. The most frequent things that I hear from followers and fans of my work is the appreciation of my use of color, the oddness of some of the work and the uniqueness of style. Although nothing looks the same, they can often tell that it all came from me.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist for me is the process of creating something from nothing. Seeing a finished product is extremely rewarding after starting with a blank canvas. Seeing the finished product and knowing that I did that is a great feeling. This is especially true when I don’t know what the outcome will be. Or when I look at my finished work and think to myself that I have no idea how I managed to do this. It is one of the best feelings that I get from my work. The next best feeling is someone loving my work enough to get it for themselves.

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

Society must adopt a love and understanding for art. It seems during these times we care more about the production of things and wealth than we do about actually enjoying life and the places we live. If we all remember that life is meant to be beautiful there would be much room and need for artists in our work. The world is not meant to look bland and square. We have the potential to make everything pop with color. Artist build and color the world, that has to be encouraged.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldsgraytest_?igsh=NGdqZnFmcjdjd2Zp&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/JpKn3opfT9aAyoCL/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmanuelgray6?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app