We recently connected with Will Knight and have shared our conversation below.
Will, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
Painting got me out of a deep, dark funk in the Summer of 2015. The Spring semester had just ended, culminating in a grueling series of all-nighters to finish my final projects, which I’d done all while going through my first real, devastating break-up. I was twenty, and felt alone and unequipped to untangle myself from the emotional pretzel I’d been twisted into.
I went from not having time to sleep, to having absolutely nothing to do on Summer break. I started going on long walks to take my mind off of the break-up. Really, really long walks. I meandered through suburban neighborhoods, along the Venice boardwalk, through underpasses, and empty plots of land that had been eminently-domained for abandoned city projects.
Somewhat numb to my usual shyness, I spoke with some of the people I’d regularly see out and about. Many of the people I’d met were also going through emotionally trying times or had survived some calamity in the past. Sharing trials and tribulations seemed to help people get things off their chest and routinely seeing them on my walks made me feel less alone. While walking one day, I was struck with an intense compulsion to paint my new acquaintances in their habitual spots. I wanted to depict their spaces transformed by their psychological states, as if their minds had overflowed into the surrounding areas. I felt like this would be a way for me to channel my own sadness into something productive, and make work that could help people having similar experiences feel less lonely. With their permission, I photographed them and got to work.
Depicting my subjects’ inner worlds on a large scale was challenging and mentally taxing. I felt a duty to be respectful and honest with the portraits, and I’d often repaint the same parts over and over again until they felt right. Doing my best to understand the journeys of my subjects helped me process my own emotions. It took 3 months to finish the series, and by the end of it, I felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from me. I hope people who see these paintings can relate to the subject matter and find some common connection with their challenges.
Will, 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 got my B.F.A. from ArtCenter College of Design in 2016. After graduating, I started working in advertising, video games, and animation. I’ve also shown my work in galleries in Los Angeles and Laguna Beach. I mostly make figurative paintings and portraits. I’m interested in painting the emotional and psychological states of my subjects as 3-dimensional spaces. I think people’s experiences feel like a place they’re living in the moment, and I want to show how someone interacts with that place. Depicting experiences spatially allows the viewer to step into the subjects’ state of mind and relate to what they’re going through.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
My first job after school was in advertising. I learned a lot during that time and had oodles of fun, but after a couple years, I decided I needed to do something new. I made a whole new portfolio and started applying for jobs in TV animation. It took a long time to break in, but it was worth it to experience a different industry.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding part about being an artist is that it never gets old. There are infinite things to learn in the pursuit of honing your craft, and infinite avenues of expression to explore if you’re open to them.
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