Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeremy Novy.
Hi Jeremy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a stencil street artist. Back in 2001, I was highly inspired by what I saw as a new art medium, street art stencils. Back then, there wasn’t a lot of stencil artist or YouTube demos on how to make a stencil. It was very DIY and didn’t hold the same kind of art rules, (yet) that traditional art mediums had. If you don’t sculpt off Roman sculptures you’re not a sculptor, or if you don’t paint like impresionalist painters you’re not a painter. There was no rules to stencil street art except get it up a lot and often. It allowed for a sense of art for art’s sake in the early days. Covering back alleys and sidewalks with stencils became an addiction, The adrenalin rush of getting away with something your told not to do is exhilarating. Now 21 years later I’m showen in the LA Art Show, represented by Wallspace gallery and often found exhibiting works at Gabba Gallery, invited to be in museum exhibitions and asked to work with high school of the art students.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being an artist is never a smooth road but it can make you very happy. Art is therapy for the creator and the viewer. Starting out as an art for art sake artist definitely wasn’t easy. I had no idea it would turn into such a loved and desired art medium.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m most known for my stenciled sidewalk koi. You can find them all over North America and copied around the world. I’ve been stenciling them for 16 years but that’s not all I stencil. I have a very activist message behind my queer stencils. I feel my queer street art creates a sense of queer visibility. That can help create less hate and feeling of not being included. If all you see is bud stop ads of heterosexuals shopping and heterosexual family’s you start to feel you don’t belong. And if there isn’t a visual representation of people like you in Main Stream media and society you become looked down on by those represented in society.
What’s next?
Currently, I’m working on an art exhibition called Vandals to Vanguards at the Pensacola Museum of Art. Along with a number of other projects including a book on 100 inspiring international street artists out of Spain.
Contact Info:
- Website: JeremyNovyStencils.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/jeremynovy
- Facebook: Facebook.com/jeremynovystencils
