“My creations are based upon in-depth research and visualizations which are birthed into material form through the use of color, line, and symbol.
My hope is that they will entice you to think, feel, pray or contemplate the many ways in which Spirit and Beauty permeate our world.”
We all have our ups and downs, and Damon Powell has most certainly discovered the light in situations that once seemed so dark. As an artist and a Theologian, he is constantly exploring deep and emotional experiences that bleed right onto the canvas of his work.
I am such a fan; I’ve had one of his paintings set as my desktop wallpaper since I last talked with him.
“All of my visual works are birthed from a deep understanding of the myriad ways that the spiritual and aesthetic intersect. These spiritual insights are often gained through prayer, meditation, or readings and research into various theological and philosophical texts. Each piece is based upon in-depth research and visualizations, which are birthed into material form through the use of color, line, and symbol. Many of my creations are attempts to convey complex theological concepts through provocative visual form. My hope is that they will entice you to think, feel, pray, or contemplate the many ways in which Spirit and Beauty permeate our world.”
Powerful, dude.
Creative Influences
One hour to create something, with anyone…
- “I would want to do an editorial illustration with Nikki Giovanni and illustrate one of her poems.”
To defeat Godzilla with his talents…
- “I would draw a giant skyscraper over the edge of a cliff and when he charges in, he would fall through down to his death.!”
Advice…
- Symbols can communicate in a lot of ways which you can’t even say in words.
- You do more than you can say.
- Everything is aesthetics. Aesthetics is not just about beauty, it’s about relationships and harmony.
- Stick to your guns and put it out there. You never know what somebody’s going to like.
- It is possible and it is not easy but if you want it bad enough and you get the right support, you can do it.
- When one door closes, another one opens but sometimes you’re not looking as you are still looking back at the other door. You got to turn around.
- You can divorce art from religion, but you can’t divorce religion from art.
- Don’t give up and never stop believing that you can.
Interview Links
Highlights
- 06:48 : Sparking his creativity during his childhood, trying out music but finding his niche more in the art world, and how his art is influenced by his educational background, doctrine and his training,
- 11:24 : Why he finds meditation as a necessity when preparing to do his art, the stories and concepts behind his works, and the most important things he learned in the programs that he went through,
- 15:35 : About his online gospel radio station and how it keeps him grounded,
- 16:47 : The tough situations that he sometimes goes through and what helps him get back into the flow,
- 18:25 : His major goal of leaving his day job and the steps and methods he has in place to get to this goal,
- 22:32 : The mediums he use for his art and the processes he has in place when creating them from concept, research, sketching, composition, layout, up to narrowing down the medium to use,
- 27:15 : About a particular instance that he was emotionally attached to his work and how hard it was to let go with peace until he completed the whole series,
- 28:54 : The meaning behind some of the symbols he incorporates in his work and why he finds it useful and important to insert them in, and
- 31:21 : A brief overview of his past struggles and how he got over his burden and towards sobriety.
