We recently connected with Jamila Mathis and have shared our conversation below.

Jamila, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The Grace Jones BoxBust has by far been the most pivotal and meaningful project I’ve completed.

I grew up a fan of James Bond, so it’s no surprise that seeing a powerful black woman as a Bond girl was the absolutely flex.

Maybe, because the women in my family were all tall, strong-willed and stately that I understood the power in being a woman with height. And how height sometimes leveled the playing field in this paternalistic world.

Secondly, I’ve always identified with both my masculinity and femininity. As I came of age, I admired those pop-icons that could comfortably embrace every aspect of both genders existing inside of them. Icons such as Prince, David Bowie and of course Grace Jones. I was even more impressed by their ability to make the world comfortable with their expression of self. They never fit inside a box. They defined themselves free from what society found acceptable or gender appropriate.

As Grace Jones stated:
“I go feminine, I go masculine. I am both, actually. I think the male side is a bit stronger in me, and I have to tone it down sometimes. I’m not like a normal woman, that’s for sure.”

That statement is me in every way. Grace Jones was the first in my Pop-Icon BoxBust series because she impacted me at my very core. It was important for me to get her right. I’d never been a successful painter and hadn’t tried sketching since childhood. However, I knew I could bring her to life. When I reached the point of painting her face and body and adding facial features, I prayed and asked God to take control of my hand and guide me. I had no clue what I was doing. After repeating this process a few times, I stepped back and there she was. And she felt complete. As complete as she made me feel in real life.

Jamila, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve been a life-long creative and crafter. From playing the clarinet and piano to spending my allowance buying art supplies to paint wood objects, creating has long been my oasis. While raising kids, my artistic self fell by the wayside and wouldn’t resurface until 2008 when I started writing poetry and decorating shadow boxes to house that poetry. My BoxArt journey, however, started in 2016 as I sought to create a going-away gift for my close friend and co-worker. I scoured the local craft store and found a large, slotted wood canvas. With a little creativity, this wood canvas became the perfect departing memento. It was such a hit that other co-workers began asking for one of their own. It was at that moment, that I realized I was onto something.

With much excitement, I bought a circular and jigsaw and started making my own boxes using skills I’d learned from my jr. high school woodshop class. Then using craft materials I had on hand, I played around with different designs and colors. That’s how BoxologyArt came into being. In 2017 I created my first BoxGirl, named Gloria and I’ve been creating BoxGirls and BoxBusts ever since. In 2018 I began creating functional art such as coasters and serving trays to expand my artistry and serve more people.

Art is such an integral part of our lives and has great power to shift how we think, feel and perceive the world. The goal of BoxologyArt is to speak to the inner child through bright, bold, vibrant colors, playful and non-traditional materials, and subject matter. I believe if we tend to our inner child, we can heal old wounds and experience more joy in our lives. Inner child work has been a transformative experience for me, and I seek to share that experience and promote others to heal and become light-hearted.

So far, I’ve created a fantastic community on social media. The BoxologyArt community is full of folks that want to have fun and take a break from the seriousness of life. We congregate for laughs and to share our personal experiences with transparency. It’s a safe and fun space.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In January 2022, I created a Jimi Hendrix piece. I’d never created a piece that required me to create highlights and shading, I was pleased with the outcome and thought I’d done a really good job at imitating the picture. But I didn’t feel I’d captured his essence. So I let it sit and wondered if I’d ever be able to capture Jimi. I doubted that I had the skill to pull it off.

I debuted the piece at a show in March of 2022 and the reviews were mixed. Some people thought he was prince, some knew it was Jimi and others didn’t know who my piece was trying to capture. Based on the feedback I received, I took it home and started playing around with his features some more. No matter how much I altered his face, I couldn’t capture his essence. And so I let it sit again only this time I was almost bereft. Feeling as though I lacked the skill and maybe I wasn’t even a true artist.

In the meantime, I created an Iris Apfel piece and was able to nail her perfectly! I captured the essence of what made her recognizable. And so I thought, what. can I do to capture the essence of Jimi? What is the essence of Jimi Hendrix? What makes him recognizable? What stands out? So I went to the store and bought materials to give him a vest, head scarf and different hair! By now, I’ve come closer to capturing his essence but based on additional feedback I received,he still wasn’t immediately identifiable. This time, I was determined to bring Jimi to life and make this piece identifiable although I didn’t know how.

I started looking at other Jimi Hendrix artwork and examined what facial features were highlighted or exaggerated. And I realized that I didn’t have to abide by the picture I used as a base. I could find the BoxologyArt way of bringing him to life. So between studying the work of other artists and now having honed my artistic style, I repainted his face, created more angular features, added some non-traditional eyebrows and highlights and FINALLY captured him. He was completed in July 2022.

Perseverance.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The goal of my art is to provide nostalgic experiences. Experiences that take us back to the good times in our childhood. My art is a product of a golden period in my childhood. A period before trauma, before being parentified, and when pop-culture, rap music, and the digital age were booming. A time before everything was sexualized, when Saturday-morning cartoons, MTV and wholesome TV shows like Love Boat and Fantasy Island were all we had access to.

Everything I create is through the lens of that child and my desire to again experience that level of carefree joy. I want to share and inspire that feeling in anyone that comes across me or my art. It’s all about feeling good, especially since adulthood is so serious and we’ve become so critical, judgmental and rigid in our beliefs as a result.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.boxologyart.com
• Instagram: boxologyart
• Facebook: boxologyart