Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Underground Sludge. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Underground, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
The most meaningful project I worked on was last year when I created 110 coasters for a friend’s wedding. They placed them at their guest tables and gave one to each gift as a take-home gift.
I was definitely a little nervous after agreeing to take on this large of a project. Not only did I have to HUSTLE to get the coasters created, I was also really worried that the bride and groom wouldn’t love them for whatever reason. Being a part of someone’s big day is stressful and I didn’t want to let them down.
But with some trial and error along with lots of back and forth communication, I finally found the palette they liked and was able to churn out the coasters with a few days to spare. It came down to the wire but they turned out great!
Needless to say, I haven’t made any coasters since I dropped those off and I’m still not ready to create any more.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I actually started creating acrylic pour art as a hobby after my boyfriend bought me a kit for Christmas about 5 years ago. It was strictly for fun but I started an Instagram and was posting pretty regularly.
Having the flexibility in my schedule to work from home really enabled me to learn and create as often as I possibly could, whether it be during my lunch break, as soon as I got off work, etc.
Sometimes I would even play YouTube tutorial videos as background noise while working—don’t tell my boss!
After a few months of learning the basics, a good friend of mine came across my artwork after I posted about it on Instagram. He asked if he could purchase two paintings as gifts for his friends as a wedding gift.
I made two really nice pieces for them and loved the way I felt about having my art in someone else’s home. This is what first gave me the confidence that I could make money off of my art and maybe only do this for a living down the road.
Most recently, I’ve been experimenting with putting my artwork on other products like garments, prints, and phone cases. It’s pretty wild how one acrylic painting on canvas can be converted to these different collections of items.
I’ve also been dabbling in Photoshop, and incorporating different imagery and photographs into my art. This has been really fun for me. The combination of acrylic paintings and digital art is really the niche I’m leaning into.
The best way I can describe my style is colorful yet spooky, with a touch of psychedelia. I’m the most well-known for my acrylic paintings but my clothing collections are becoming increasingly popular as well.
I would say my original acrylic paintings are the most special to me, though, because of the amount of love and time that goes into making each one. Each mixture of paint and resin has to be precise, and the drying process can either make or break a painting if that mixture is off. I have a hard time parting ways with my original paintings when they sell.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Seeing people look at and enjoy my art is definitely the most rewarding part of being an artist.
I love nerding out with strangers at art shows, and hearing their interpretations of my pieces. If it strikes them as unique or interesting, I feel like I’ve won even if they didn’t buy anything from me.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
REDDIT.
I’ve been on Reddit for a few years now, but I just recently started actively using the r/PourPainting Subreddit for literally everything art related.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.undergroundsludge.com
- Instagram: @undergroundsludge
- Facebook: @undergroundsludge