We were lucky to catch up with Nico Cathcart recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nico, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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?

I have a BFA in painting and ceramics. As a child, I was always drawing on something. Fortunately, I had a great number of teachers recognize my drive during my formative years, which gave me some fundamentals at an early age. By the time I got to college I was well versed in a lot of the basic concepts of design, drawing, etc.. My real learning started on the streets, however. I was fortunate enough to have worked with an accomplished mural and graffiti artist, who really pushed me and taught me the ropes of painting on walls. I have been blending the two different approaches into my painting skills up on walls and canvases ever since.

I don’t think art can be rushed in any way. You might be able to learn the basics quickly, but art is really about soul-work. The meanings and styles one creates through the natural evolution of trial and error. While I may have been able to paint and draw realistically from a young age, the ideas weren’t yet there. I think the tendency to rush everything is harmful to realizing your style. Late Capitalism wants artists to be brands, and we are not. Art has a big power to convey ideas and expose the beauty and ugliness within humanity. That’s not something that can be rushed. Time and life experiences are needed to get to where you are going.

Nico, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a painter and muralist. My work is focused on the idea that Art can create change. I like to create work that engages the viewer in a dialog. Weather on the large public scale, or the more intimate canvas, I would like my viewers to have an internal dialog about what they are looking at and why. Most of my canvas work is part of my ongoing Symbiotic series, which updates the traditional genre of Memento Mori, or remember death, to speak about the ongoing effects of climate change. My works use the visage of the human skull as a parable about the effects we have on the environment, and vise-versa, the effects our environment has on us. Many of my other pieces on walls also focus on the environment, as well as social justice themes,

My style is striving towards contemporary realism. To me, there is nothing more pure that recreating life accurately. There is a technical knowledge and skill that is involved with hyper realism that inspires and drives me. Its a study in light and form that transcends into an enhanced reality. I have been heavily influenced by a slew of contemporary artists such as Natalia Fabia, Fintan Magee, Bakpak Durden, and Drew Merritt.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The best way to support the arts is to – support the arts! We need to fill up our walls with weird stuff, not generic mass-produced fake paintings from target. Art is an investment that anyone can make, and we do it less and less as big box stores dictate what we consume.

So go buy a painting! Commission one! Remember to value the local, the story, and the sacrifice it took to create a one of a kind piece. Your home will be that much more culturally rich because of it.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I think one of the things it took awhile to understand is that your references have to be authentic. It seems impossible when you start out, but taking the time to locate and document your references makes a world of difference in the final outcome. That might be finding a model, creating an outfit, figuring out lighting, or making a sculpture. It took me years in my artistic journey to realize that fighting the urge to just “google it” and just make it would separate my work from others. You can be an expert on form, figure, or lighting, but something will always be off if you aren’t looking at the actual thing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nicocathcart.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/nicocathcart

Image Credits
Headshot is by Tania del Carmen