Meet Shakes the Artist

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shakes the Artist.

Shakes the Artist, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Throughout my childhood and into high school I was very creative. I used to paint and then moved onto exploring Photoshop. This was the early-aughts, of course, so I remember wanting to immerse myself in as many creative outlets as possible. I was originally supposed to go to college for graphic design, but I changed my mind the week I was enrolling for classes and instead focused on Advertising and Marketing. Fast forward to ten years later, I am working in Operations for a digital media company in Los Angeles. I felt lost, uninspired, and with a job that left me unfulfilled. I craved a challenge, a change, something else.

So, I drove to Palm Springs to spend the weekend with friends to get out of LA for a few days. The next day we randomly went to an art store. I spotted acrylic paints on the shelves, and something compelled me to buy them along with a canvas. I hadn’t painted in over eight years but figured I would just try it again. I sat in the backyard of the cute mid-century modern house with my headphones on, listening to music and painted for hours. Something took over me and I felt at peace for the first time in a long time. I felt like this is what I was supposed to be doing. From there I started painting at home every night in the dining room.

I named myself Shakes because I have natural tremors. Kids used to call me ”shakes” to make fun of the tremors in my hands, so I figured claiming the name Shakes was a way to turn a bad nickname into something good. I created an Instagram account with the intent to follow my progress as my style and technique evolved. Months later, I was painting so much that my roommate and I rented the garage in the backyard to convert it into an art studio. Painting has become a huge creative outlet for me and what’s more, it’s led me down an unexpected path to happiness that I could not have predicted.

Has it been a smooth road?
Yes and No, haha. There’s no guide book on ”how to paint how you feel”, especially when you are working in the abstract. You just do what feels right. Some people could look at my work and not like it, while others may connect instantly, but that’s fine! I consider myself to be an abstract expressionist, so I paint the way I’m feeling at that moment. If I’m feeling anxious or stressed in other areas of my life, I’ll let it out on the canvas and express myself trying to create different textures using acrylic, oil, pastel, charcoal, aluminum foil, whatever I can get my hands on. My ‘Faces’ series, for example, was born out of a drunken and anxiety-ridden night at a club in Berlin. Painting allows me to channel my feelings into the canvas and create something beautiful out of it.

We’d love to hear more about your art.
I would say I’m best known for my textures. I like to mix different mediums to create rough, colorful and different textures. I prefer to paint with stainless steel painting knives, I’ll use paintbrushes and pastels as well but I love working with knives. My goal is to make paintings that look like they are a living and breathing thing on your wall, and the painting knives allow me to act quickly as I am making my way through the canvas.

I’m proud of my growth over the past year. From painting alone in my living room to being the featured artist at a building in Hollywood and then doing a live painting last month for charity. Everything I have taken on has been a stepping stone and has helped me grow overall as a person.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love Los Angeles. I was supposed to move to New York a few years ago and cancelled the move a month from my move date because I felt like I wasn’t done with this city yet. I love how different and unique each neighborhood is. I live in West Hollywood but lately try to spend as much time in Silverlake, Echo Park and Downtown. When I’m not painting you can usually find me at a concert. LA has so many cool concert venues and there’s a show pretty much every night of the week. There’s nothing better than being at a live concert, feeling that rush, it consumes me.

Contact Info:

• Website: shakestheartist.com
• Email: [email protected]

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