Justin Mejia
Hadley: What is your background with art?
Justin: I have been doing since I was a kid and I never stopped doing it. No formal training, just YouTube videos and figuring it out by myself.
Hadley: How would you describe your art?
Justin: I do charcoal a lot. Usually portraits, of people that I make up in my mind based off of an accumulation or combination of people that I have seen.
Hadley: What do you want other people to think/feel when they see your art?
Justin: Despair and emptiness. And maybe like a hollow feeling. It depends with the flowers I’m doing now with oil point — nothing specific but just the thought of ‘wow this is really beautiful’. I want my art to speak for itself I don’t want all the bullshit of symbolism that artists push for. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, I just don’t want mob art to be like that. I want people to see my art and know what it is.
Hadley: Do you think there is a distinctly human need to create art?
Justin: Yes, absolutely. I think just looking back at history - cave paintings. That was a point in time when all we cared about was hunting and gathering and we still had the desire to create art.
Hadley: It has been wonderful to hear your insights, now one final question. This one is a bit heavier - but I think it’s a serious consideration for all artists out there - and perhaps all humans. What do you want your legacy to be?
Justin: To be remembered.
Hadley: Thank you so much for your responses!
Love at First Sight
