Interview
Brandon Dearing
Brandon’s work had been exhibited in one gallery in Eldorado, Arkansas called South Arkansas Art Center. He has made over 1 000 artworks. He has placed in the finals in at least two art competitions, one being in kindergarten with a artwork of a sunset with dolphins flipping in the air. The second one was of a violin in a symphony orchestra contest. He has sold at least 40 artworks in his life.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I was born in 1998 in a very poor, broken family. I was the only white kid in my neighborhood, so everyday, I struggled to make friends. I was bullied so bad on the school bus. I remember my middle brother had started drawing anime like dragon ball z and my dad also drew a little bit. So at the age of 5, I picked up a pencil and decided to try to draw. I never could get into drawing anime because I couldn’t really come up with ideas. So, I would set outside and draw things like the roads, cars, until one day I saw a beautiful girl on the school bus. So, I drew her. After giving her the drawing, I saw how happy it made her. I also saw the reaction from others and how they all slowly stopped trying to bully me so much.
From there on, I started drawing more people. When my family got into church when I was 6, there was a preacher who asked me to draw him. When I started school, I was so determined to be a artist, even though I struggled with depression and anxiety. I placed as a finalist in my first art competition when I was in kindergarten. By 4th grade, I placed in the finals in two other competitions. I kept on trying to improve to a point where helping my family with bills was my main focus. All I wanted was to help them with bills in hope it would keep my family from fighting all the time.
I kept on drawing anyway because at that point it became my escape from everything going on around me. One day, I decided to draw a famous person after classmates talked me into it. From that point forward people in school started to really recognize my talent. I kept on drawing girls I had crushes on and would give them the work as a way to communicate because I was so nervous. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety when I was 9, but I kept on drawing. Drawing gave me a reason to live when I didn’t have a reason to live.
When I was 11, my middle brother disappeared in the middle of a church service. At that point, I started to fall away from art. My art teacher at the time told me she would make sure I got a scholarship if I stayed in school. I went home and told my mom and my mom told me she didn’t want to be without me because she was afraid I would be gone like my brother was. My gears began to shift, and I was introduced to social media. I decided to draw Iggy Azalea, Eminem and more people hoping to blow up. I made videos with a cheap phone I was blessed with. Unfortunately, even though locally I was growing fast in popularity, when it came to social media my talent was absolutely drained. I expected more love. I thought if I blew up I could save my family. But battling anxiety and depression; I was afraid to post at all. My insecurities got far worse. The home environment got way worse.
I dropped out of high school because I began to fail. I found myself having anxiety attacks in class. I did luckily get my GED. I didn’t know what to do with it or what move to make towards further education because I had no family with education around me or friends even. So, the first thing I did was get involved in the streets. Eventually, I was robbed at gunpoint. That made me look at life differently because only a few blocks away is where my best friend was killed when I was 8. I took a break from drawing and got my first actual job at 18. From there, I would sketch at times and challenge myself to get better. I worked so much - I didn’t feel like I had time for it.
So, I eventually stopped drawing completely. I worked my way up at local sawmill and fell into a severe depression battling addiction. Addiction slowly started to take my life over. I worked so hard everyday but fell short to realize what I was actually doing to myself. At the age of 22, I found myself with a pencil in my hand again escaping life. From there, I kept pushing myself and found myself in another sawmill. At 23 years old, I left that job to chase art full time, but this time I was far more determined than ever. Because no longer did I feel afraid to post online. Only because I had awful addiction that numbed me and helped me focus only on success whether I died trying or not.
This time I got directly into painting. With no prior experience in my life to actually painting. I got on TikTok and would share my life while I improved. I would paint in a ran down trailer with rats crawling at my feet, sometimes starving, showing my real life struggle as I looked to beat the severe depression I was in. People started to notice me online. I launched a Shopify store but it failed. I then launched a Etsy and got my first sale. The first drawing I sold online was of Donald Trump. My first art print I sold was a piece called ‘drug addiction.’ My very first paintings were expressionisms of how I felt inside. Before I knew it I ended up blowing up on TikTok. But I wasn’t ready for it mentally. I was a full blown addict with a sad story going through the hardest point in my life while trying to act like I was okay. I eventually had a mental breakdown and posted it all on my TikTok because I was high and felt like I could help someone else. I am 26 years old now with art sold across America and a real life testimony on my TikTok showing how I bounced back. It wasn’t until 2 months ago that I admitted myself into rehab for the first time. Focused on a full recovery so far, I have recovered. I’m still posting on my TikTok everyday. Now I am here, about to be on KTVE channel news, doing my first art magazine interview, and showcasing my artwork downtown Eldorado. To me art isn’t about being the best, art is about escaping. At this point, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to become a famous and rich artist. My goal is to make sure my future family and kids don’t have to feel what I felt as a kid. I want to be the best father I can be and show my kids how to chase their dreams by making it easier for them by being a role model. Hopefully by the end of next year, I will be in art school. I’m saving up money to bounce back from the mess I left in my past life. This is still only the beginning of my journey. Its been a long time coming!”
What inspires you?
“Overcoming poverty.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“Ending racism, expressing pain, relating to others, realism, expressionism, impressionism. I make sure all of my work has a metallic flake symbolizing how we all shine life into others lives. I also may add things like a sun and moon in the same picture representing happiness and pain.”
How would you describe your work?
“I would describe my work as my way of spreading hope and love through storytelling.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Picasso, Ed Hardy, Leonardo DaVinci, Edward Allen Poe, Vincent Van Gogh, Salvador Dali.”
What is your creative process like?
“I usually look at a picture and then start improvising.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“An artist’s role in society is to bring life to what’s empty or blank. I see the people evolving, I think the art will only involve the more the people feel. Whether its to improve themselves or others.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“My ‘the last poker’ piece has been sold with over 50 copies. I displayed artwork later at a gallery in a local store in December of 2023. In January of 2024, one of my paintings sold while I was on TikTok live painting with it in the background on the wall.”
