We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Trevor Stickel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Trevor, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
Currently working on an appearance and exhibit January 24-27, 2024 at Beatles on the Beach in Del Ray Beach, Florida. The event will include a presentation of a commissioned painting to Cheap Trick live on stage. I will also be part of a duo exhibiting featuring myself (Stickman) and the art of Ringo Starr at the Cornell Museum of Art.
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.
I was born in Edmonton, Alberta to a family in the cattle industry, and I spent my younger years playing hockey, drawing portraits and painting helmets and Harleys.
I decided to transfer these skill to canvas after reading “According to the Rolling Stones”. Two weeks later I finished my first canvas portrait of Mick Jagger, aptly titled “Please allow me to introduce myself”, which forever changed the direction of my career in the art world.
I specialize in music inspired pop-realism paintings (acrylic on canvas) that strive to capture the legendary moments, powerful ideas, and the raw emotion of music. My work is heavily influenced by rock and roll and rock culture. I often say that I’m a wildlife painter, but instead of the birds and the bees…I paint Keith Richards. I’ve spent my entire career in the pursuit of creating the visual equivalent of Ted Nugent’s riff in Stranglehold, a lyrical metaphor for the valiant quest to
capture the ethereal power in the rebellion, riot, and romance of rock and roll.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The title of each of my pieces is often the most important piece of the puzzle for my work. I try to choose a lyric that I believe personifies the subject or my feeling toward that subject, and then strive to create an image and feeling that takes the viewer to that emotional state of mind. The titles are mostly a lyric from the song of inspiration. If the viewer is a fan of the song, they should almost hear the lyric or feel the emotion of the lyric when looking at the piece. Knowing the title completes the emotional connection to the painting – when someone can share a story about how the painting or that musical inspiration impacted them, I really appreciate that.
Have you ever had to pivot?
This industry is tough to navigate and I spent many years trying to understand it and find the best path for my creativity and brand. A couple years ago, I felt I needed to make some changes in order to progress in my art and career, and made the decision to self-publish. It was a steep learning curve, however, it has lead me to some incredible people and connections that I would have never found previously, and I’m more inspired now than ever.
Contact Info:
- Other: I’m currently on a North American tour, dates can be found on my website at: https://www.stickmanfineart.com/events New dates will be added soon!
Image Credits
Personal photos are credit of Curtis Comeau Art Images are credit of Stickman Fine Art Inc.