Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Schut.
Justin, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I grew up in a small midwestern town in Michigan. I always knew that I liked drawing/painting and wanted to pursue art in some capacity but didn’t know how. I went to college for Graphic Design because that seemed like the right thing to do. After a few years, I realized I hated it and I really wanted to pursue art in the Entertainment Industry, so I decided to pack my bags for California.
I studied Game Art at Laguna College of Art + Design and simultaneously fell in love with the landscape of Southern California. I’m currently work in the mobile game industry designing things like characters and environments, but I try to get outside and paint whenever I have the time.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My work tends to be mostly representational with varying degrees of stylization. I am always playing around with different styles, but I would say something I find central to my work is in element of story. For example, if I’m painting a scene with two characters, I try to incorporate details that might give insight to the history of those characters. If it’s a high school couple walking down the hall, the girl might have a charm dangling from her backpack that her boyfriend brought back from his trip last summer.
Even if it’s something as simple as a landscape study, I can incorporate things like footprints or rocks arranged a certain way that can imply a specific history to the space. I believe when an artwork can tell a story, it becomes more believable and therefore more relatable to the viewer.
Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
The landscape for professional artists has changed so much in the last 10 years! I think that with the advent of technology and social media, there is so much potential for your work to spread and reach a wider audience. Plus, there are so many more resources available to artists to learn new skills and grow in their field.
I think there are certain challenges though, for sure. Social Media can have a lot of toxic effects on users, so it’s important to not get caught up on “likes,” or follower count. That’s why I think community events are great for connecting artists IRL beyond social media. Sketchgroups and figure drawing sessions are a great way to meet and connect with other local artists.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.justinschut.com
- Email: schutart@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinschut
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/justinschut
Image Credit:
All artwork copyright ©Justin Schut.
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