I ’ M AN ARTIST WHO ALMOST WASN ’ T .
by Nancy Mueller
child ’ s view of the world is heavily influenced by the adults in his or her life . Because of this , a child ’ s dreams can be strongly encouraged or just as easily crushed by a mean-spirited or unknowing adult .
Lucky for me , most of my influence came from my mother and 4 sisters . Through the eyes of my mother and sisters , I grew to have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for women and the valuable role they play within society as well as each culture .
As a child , my experience of race , color and culture grew when I started middle school when the awareness of the diversity within cultures became apparent . This awareness also began to influence my view of the world as well as my artistic talents ; if you were to ask my parents , they ’ d tell you I ’ ve had a pencil and paper in my hands as early as four or five years old . I was really obsessed with cartoons , Looney Tunes , Transformers , Fat Albert , Superman , and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . I would wake up every Saturday morning and plant myself in front of the TV . Whether I was watching my favorite shows or sharing this time with my sisters watching Rainbow Brite and Care Bears , these shows brought me the inspiration I credit for the art I create today .
Although each of my five senses were filled with colors , lines , shapes and artistic flow , I was an artist who almost wasn ’ t . All through school I was constantly being told by teachers that I daydreamed too much and that my doodling was getting in the way of my schoolwork . During my senior year of high school , my guidance counselor actually told me that drawing was not going to bring me a successful career nor would it take me anywhere in life ; he told me I should take life more seriously . Prior to that crushing revelation I had dreamt of somehow making art a part of my life .
Where others saw comics and cartoons , I saw lines and shapes that pulled at my artistic passions and as I grew older I honed my visions ; learning techniques from old masters such as Rembrandt , Homer , Manet Hopper and Van Gogh .
Because of the advice from adults who told me I would never make a living with my art ; when I graduated from high school I decided to get a retail job and focus on making money and “ being responsible ”. I continued this routine for years , until a former middle school classmate convinced me to go back to college and get an art degree . Two and a half years later , I received my Associates Degree in 3D Animation and design , and was the first in my family to go to college and graduate ! One of my biggest life lessons was learning to listen to my instincts and honor my talents instead of allowing the opinions of others to dictate how I show up in my life .
When you see my work , you may ask me , “ why the bright pink hair ?”
Thanks for asking ,” I paint women with pink hair because the hair is representational of two things ; the color and the style . You ’ ll notice the style is very wild , untamed , curly , uncontrolled and unbound . This represents the freedom women have within my artwork . The freedom for them to do what they want to do , be who they want to be without any restraints from gender and equality , without any control from sexism , without any constrictions created by misogyny . The pink color is very bright and its vibrant color is representational of the internal beauty belonging to a woman , along with her strength and her courage . Pink is the vibrant color I choose because , personally , it represents breast cancer awareness and my mother is a breast cancer survivor . It also represents the color of many different flowers . But more specific ; a rose , which is not only a very beautiful flower but it ' s also a flower that protects itself with thorns . The women in my art , although they are beautiful aesthetically , are also protectors of themselves .”
In today ’ s society , I live in a world of massive gender inequality and I ’ m making it my personal responsibility as a man to use my voice creatively to bring attention and awareness to the strength , passion , resilience , innovation and beauty that women can offer to the world . When we empower women to receive the same opportunities and treatment that men have , there can only be amazing positivity and growth for us as human beings . The power of creation and the universe itself exists within the woman and without her we could never be .
“ My voice stands with her voice , and each line I create builds a step towards equality for her .”
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