We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Overstreet Ducasse a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Overstreet thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on was my recent mural in Jacksonville Florida. I was selected by a committee to create a 1500 feet mural on Jacksonville newly constructed Emerald trail. The trail is a viaduct that caries a road over a creek and connects 2 neighborhoods, LaVilla and Brooklyn. LaVilla and Brooklyn were two historical black communities dating back to the 1800s. These communities went through many changes from its inception to what is is currently. There are major constructions going on and organizations such as Groundwork Jax wanted the people who grew up there and currently live there to be a part of the changes.

Overstreet, 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 was born in Haiti and moved to the United States at age 6. I come from a 2 parent household and have 3 sisters. I knew from an early age that I was going to be an artist, however, I did not pursue an art education until my mid 30s although I was practicing art full time. Plus I come from a hardworking background and having a so-called real job was important Pryor to being a full time artist, I worked as a laborer and boilermaker subjourneymen in nuclear plants across the United States. I traveled from South Miami, Georgia, Tennessee, Arizona, California and Philadelphia assisting in refueling and steam Generator outages. Unfortunately, that job did not last and I was forced to become a full time artist.
My artwork varies depending on Mood, Inspiration and what’s going on around the world. Although, I created different styles of art and use a variety of material, what I am mostly known for is my gun range target pieces. These pieces are supposed to represent magazine covers. Florida Targets is the name of the magazine. I use the shooting target paper silhouette and render a figure by collaging and using pastel, ink, and acrylic paint. The result is a figure highlighting different topics related to social justice. What sets my work apart from others is the ability to tell a story using symbolism in a direct and indirect way.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is where my thoughts, emotion, and intellect materialize in a physical form. It sounds simple but, just because the idea sounds great it doesn’t mean that it will be appealing to the eye once it is completed. For me, in order to be satisfied with the result, the final product must be visually stimulating, tell a compelling story or evoke levels of emotion.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the lessons I had to unlearn was to be more inclusive and learn how to be part of a team as apposed to being an independent artist. I have been part of the Cork art district in Jacksonville FL for over 10 years. That district is consisted of about 100 artists 5 buildings, 5 galleries, and several private studios. Initially, I was in a space shared by 3 artists. Later, we were asked to move in a different building that houses 30 artists. I did not like the move initially, but quickly realize it was worth the move. Having a larger community of artists helped in many ways. There is always someone there to assist me with anything I had in mind but was unable to create alone. There were no limits. I was able to expand my mix media practice from a 2d to a 3d by collaborating with wood workers, welders, sculptors, videographers, and 3d printers. We motivated each other and kept each other accountable when it was necessary. We also shared opportunities that were received but best suited for a different person.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://overstreetducasse.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/overstreetducasse
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/overstreetducasse

Image Credits

Toni Smailagic