Today we’d like to introduce you to Layne Harris.
Hi Layne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started doing art at a very young age and luckily had very supportive parents. Growing up, I was surrounded by so many different types of art forms (video games, animation, movies, etc.) that I wanted nothing more than to be a part of it. I mostly began taking it seriously in high school where I had the additional support of my art teacher, DeWayne Mason. There I would go on to win a few awards and even be featured in the local newspaper. I went on to community college and thought a lot about what I wanted to do. The answer was clear, but with the looming thought of financial security and opportunities, I took some time to reflect. Though when it came down to it, pursuing art was the only thing that persisted. With some really great guidance from professors like Jeff Soto, I was able to find my way to ArtCenter College of Design. There I would continue studying my interest in the field, landing me with a BFA in Illustration with a focus in Fine Art Painting. ArtCenter would be the most transformative for me. With the help of some amazing faculty and artists like Rob Clayton, I was really able to expand my thought process and feelings about why I was creating and what I truly enjoyed making. While I feel that will never stop changing or evolving, it does feel more clear to me than ever thanks to those who helped me along the way. Since then I’ve been able to participate in a number of group shows in California and even got an opportunity to show in Berlin, Germany as a part of ArtCenter & HMCT’s New Eye Berlin Program in my last term of study.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I struggled a lot with myself for the most part. I had plenty of support from friends, loved ones, and mentors, but I was always my worst critic. Going into community college, I challenged the viability of becoming an artist today. I didn’t know if it was something I’d be able to take past being a hobby realistically. I bounced around to different areas of interest like computer science and architecture, but nothing felt quite right. Even after I had decided that art was something I truly wanted to pursue despite the risk, my journey was riddled with a lot of self-doubts. Now that I have finished school and experienced other stories in this field, I have more confidence in myself and my ability to make this into a career. Although it was challenging, I am very lucky to have this as my biggest obstacle, as I know others faced much greater hardships than I did.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In my last year or so of undergrad, my work really began a transformative process. Coming from a background in studying illustration, all of my work was restricted by that process. Come up with an idea, do the sketches, make the work. The longer I was in school the more I realized that process just doesn’t work well for me, it’s not how I wanted to create. Eventually, I began painting intuitively. This is a process where I just start without any predetermined plan or agenda, simply creating. I didn’t know what I was making, and that felt extremely liberating. It became an exercise of exploring the subconscious that I became really interested in. One day I’m painting a couple of different indistinct shapes of color, the next they become two forms sharing an embrace. It’s a give and take sort of relationship with my work, what do I give it and what does it require from me in response? I find working that way really fulfilling, it’s almost like solving one giant puzzle. Is it about me or is it about the painting itself? I couldn’t really give a clear answer, but I think it’s something in between and I really enjoy that. Coming from a background in studying illustration, the work I make doesn’t always hold up those ideas instilled in me. It is hard sometimes, doubt and insecurity comes and goes, but honestly I am really proud of making my work something that really feels like my own and taking my own path even if it might be more difficult.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I think I’ve learned most to just be more understanding of other’s situations. I’ve been extremely lucky to have not been that impacted by the pandemic besides a minor break in studies, but I know many who have had life-altering experiences due to the crisis. Everyone has a varying degree of experience, and I think we would all be better off being more sensitive to that idea, myself included. Cultures significantly impacted lost loved ones, the risk of people in immunocompromised states, it’s a lot bigger than any one person.
Contact Info:
- Website: layneharrisart.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/layneharrisart
Image Credits
Arlene Tomista
