Meet Nick McInvale of Wizard Visions in North Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick McInvale.

Nick, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Making art started for me at age four. My elder brother and I would sit for hours at the drawing table, coming up with all kinds of strange stories and ideas. From then on, I’ve carried the visual arts with me as my main instrument of expression. Over twenty-something years I’ve been doodling away into the ether.

While I’m certainly far from mastering this craft, I’d like to think that my blade is getting sharper. That honing of technique coupled with the pursuit of vision and inspiration has driven me to where I am now, continuing crystallization of young Nick’s fascination with creating distant, other worlds.

And it’s thanks to the help and support of my family, my friends and the community of San Diego that I am beginning to share these worlds within with the world outside. Together with some friends and local businesses, I’m beginning to share my work in print and in mural form throughout the city.

Teros Gallery, in particular, has offered space and an audience for many local artists and independent artists around the world. Thanks to them, San Diego has a venue for the strange and wonderful work that they curate. I feel now that my own strange and wonderful journey is just begun.

Has it been a smooth road?
There have been smooth times and rough times. Whether it’s self-inflicted or comes from outside, struggle is just part of being human and living in the human world. Currently, the lack of affordable studio space in this city makes working as an artist less than ideal.

Losing a dedicated workspace about a year ago was a major blow. Really though, the self-inflicted stuff is honestly more demoralizing. There are thoughts that come up from time to time. They say stuff like, “Hey, you’re not good enough at this thing,” or “This other artist is so much better,” and best of all, “You should quit.”

That kind of self-doubt is a reflex for a lot of us, it seems. It seeps into all our actions too, keeping us from taking the necessary leaps. So its best to just hear those thoughts, let have their minute and then let them get gone. Here comes another thought. “I’m never going to give up.” There’s some fuel for jumping hurdles.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Wizard Visions – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I’m an independent artist, working as an illustrator and now starting to dip my toes into murals. On social media, my handle is WizardVisions, a name the work seeks to embody. The work blends sci-fi and fantasy influences with the world of mysticism. Fantasy and sci-fi are unique channels to explore distinct aspects of our human experience.

Fantasy speaks to our archetypal roles and the archetypal stories we tell ourselves and attempt to live. Science-fiction can dive deep into philosophy and explore the potential of ideas and the potential of humankind. It’s my mission to create art that accesses that channel, allowing us a whimsical window into the winding interior world of spirit.

That and to paint wizards and mountains and magical stuff… These are the subjects of our wilder dreams, an interior realm populated by our hidden motivators. The Wizard Visions works explore this world with a vibrant nostalgia and a whispering dark. More than any quality it has now, the work can progress forever onward.

I have no intention of succumbing to stagnancy or being married to a gimmick. I will continue to push the work further into more complex ideas, more artistic execution that pushes me as a craftsman, and more forays into the unknown to test my hand as a magician, even if I end up out of my depth.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
San Diego is such an incredible mix of landscapes. We’re a major metropolitan city, but take a drive an hour east, and you’re in National Forest land or in the high desert. To our west, sandy beaches and picturesque cliffs. The community is similar in a way — a wide spectrum of people, transplant and native, with a healthy mix of ideas and lifestyles.

It’s like San Diego is home to many worlds. I think you can gather by now that I enjoy visiting other realms. This city gives me that chance to step into another landscape, another culture from one hour to the next. But the best part about this city is the community of artists and musicians that I have had the incredible fortune to interact with.

These people are the wind in my sails, a constant reason for joy even when things get tough. While I don’t doubt that there are incredible artistic communities in cities across the world, this community is mine and so very beautiful.

Yeah, it’s gorgeous here, and the people are beautiful too. But the beauty comes at a price. I would like San Diego a whole lot more if it weren’t so expensive. I grew up here and seeing the influx of people, and the increase in rent makes me feel a little anxious. But that tide is rising in a lot of places around the world… I would love to see more art spaces in the city.

Work-spaces for independent artists are disappearing all across San Diego, and the spaces for exhibition are limited. If the rent in the city were a little lighter, we might see more small spaces like Teros flourishing — spaces where a small community has the chance to reach a wider audience and get vital financial and spiritual support, as social media can only do so much.

Maybe we can make more spaces together, share the risk but also share the reward. Our best bet here as independent artists is to work together. Now is the time for it, support your friends, a rising tide lifts all boats!

Pricing:

• Prints of Form & Void – $40 +shipping

Contact Info:

• Website: nick.mcinvale.org
• Email: nmcinvaleart@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wizardvisions/

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